TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

It seems that the Expos wanted to give their fans a lifetime of memories as quickly as possible.

As if the inaugural game at Shea Stadium or the first home win at Jarry Park weren’t memorable enough, the Expos quickly adopted a flair for the dramatic in just the franchise’s ninth game, on April 17, 1969. That night, Bill Stoneman pitched a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies, allowing Nos Amours–a French expression meaning Our Loves–to achieve the feat more quickly than any other team.1

Montreal came into the game at Connie Mack Stadium with a 3-5 record and was playing its seventh game on the road after two at Jarry Park. What made this game more improbable was Stoneman’s career to date. Drafted in 1966 in the 31st round by the Chicago Cubs, he was called up to the big leagues in 1967 and went 2-5 over the next two years, mostly as a reliever. He earned the nickname Toy Tiger as much for his size (5-feet-10), as for his determination. Chicago manager Leo Durocher gave Stoneman only two starts, while using him in relief 44 times. The Expos selected Stoneman with the 10th pick in the 1968 expansion draft, viewing him as a starter even though he had only two starts in his major-league career. Going into this contest, he had an 0-2 record and a 5.00 ERA.

Stoneman’s inexperience showed in his first appearance of the season, when he gave up four earned runs in 1/3 of an inning against the Mets and left the game with a 108.00 ERA. His second outing was slightly better: He pitched 8⅔ innings and gave up all seven runs (but only one earned) in a 7-6 loss to the Cubs. His teammates made three errors behind him.

In this game, though, the defense was excellent from the beginning. Center fielder Don Bosch recovered from a late jump to grab a sinking fly ball by Don Money in the second. In the next inning, Rusty Staub preserved the no-hitter when he snared a liner off the bat of Tony Taylor.

As historic a night as it was for Stoneman, some of his teammates also had noteworthy evenings. In addition to his fielding heroics, Staub put on a batting clinic with four hits, including three doubles and a fourth-inning home run, his third of the season. Staub had 10 total bases in the game and drove in three runs. Le Grand Orange was blossoming.

Also joining the hit parade was rookie Coco Laboy, who rapped out four singles and drove in a run to help the Expos to their fourth win of the year.

Phillies pitchers had forgettable nights. Starter Jerry Johnson went eight innings and gave up four runs (three earned) on 11 hits. The Expos opened the scoring with an unearned run in the third. Laboy singled and went to second when Gary Sutherland reached on an error. After Stoneman struck out, Laboy scored when Tony Taylor made the Phillies’ second error of the inning, this time on a Bosch grounder.

Staub homered leading off the fourth inning and with the Expos in front 2-0 in the sixth, run-scoring singles by Ty Cline and Laboy upped the lead to 4-0. In the ninth the Expos put the game away for good with three more runs off Bill Wilson. Staub doubled with the bases loaded, plating Stoneman and Bosch and moving Maury Wills to third. Turk Farrell replaced Wilson and allowed Wills to score on a wild pitch to make the score 7-0.

Stoneman’s determination showed in the ninth inning as he finished the game in style, striking out Ron Stone and Johnny Briggs, and then inducing the dangerous Deron Johnson to ground out to Wills. Overall, Stoneman faced 31 batters, struck out eight and walked five. Stoneman later admitted that he wasn’t overpowering that night.

“People think that a pitcher who throws a no-hitter totally dominates the game, but that isn’t always true,” he said. “I had trouble with my control and gave up five walks, which is something that happened a lot in my career.”2

As sweet as the win was for the players, this game also provided some revenge for Expos manager Gene Mauch, who was fired by the Phillies after 53 games the previous season. Not only did his new team lay a beating on his old one, but he was serenaded by the fans chanting “we want Mauch” from the seventh inning until the end of the game.3

The Expos’ reaction to the event seems almost quaint by today’s standards. Management ripped up Stoneman’s contract and gave him a new one with a $2,000 raise. Then, between games of an April 20 doubleheader against the Cubs, public address announcer Claude Mouton asked fans to stay in their seats and then called Stoneman out of the dugout. Team president John McHale pointed to a new Renault car in center field, a gift from the Renault Company. However, the big surprise came when one of the car’s doors opened and out stepped Stoneman’s mother along with a brother just back from Vietnam.

Nonetheless, Stoneman’s first no-hitter was no fluke. He repeated the feat on October 2, 1972, at Montreal’s Jarry Park against the Mets, winning by the same 7–0 score. Stoneman struck out nine, but had control problems, walking seven. Ironically, this was the last complete game of his career. He is the only pitcher in major league history to pitch no-hitters in his first and last career complete games.

This article is from: Au jeu/Play Ball: The 50 Greatest Games in the History of the Montreal Expos

April 17, 1925 — Babe Ruth undergoes an operation for an intestinal abscess at St. Vincent’s Hospital, where he will remain for six weeks. The 30 year-old Yankee outfielder will miss the first forty games of the season due to his “bellyache heard ’round the world,” a popular misconception that blamed the consumption of an abundance of hot dogs and soda for his illness.

April 17, 1934 -- On Opening Day at the newly-named Crosley Field, Reds' announcer Red Barber calls his first play-by-play for a major league team. The 26 year-old future Hall of Fame broadcaster had never attended a major league game before today's 6-0 loss to Chicago.

April 17, 1951 -- For the first time, in a career that will span more than half of a century, public address announcer Bob Sheppard announces the Yankees' lineup. The 'Voice of God's introduction of the Bronx Bombers will include the memorable names of Mickey Mantle, playing his first game in pinstripes, Phil Rizzuto, and Yogi Berra, but the first player's name announced will be DiMaggio - Dom DiMaggio, the leadoff batter for the visiting Red Sox.

April 17, 1953, Mickey Mantle hits what is believed to be the longest home run in the history of Washington’s Griffith Stadium. The New York Yankees’ slugger blasts a mammoth 565-foot shot against Chuck Stobbs of the Washington Senators.

April 17, 1955, At Forbes Field, the Pittsburgh Pirates' 20-year-old rookie Roberto Clemente makes his major league debut, playing both ends of a doubleheader, ironically but perhaps fittingly, against the Brooklyn Dodgers, the team that first signed him but left him unprotected in the 1954 Rule V draft. In his first at-bat, the future Hall of Famer rifles one back through the originator, Johnny Podres, and off the glove of shortstop Pee Wee Reese, for the first of his 3,000 career hits.

April 17, 1964 Boston Red Sox rookie Tony Conigliaro hits his first Major League home run in his first at-bat at Fenway Park, off Joe Horlen, 2nd inning. The two-out blast totally clears the Green Monster. the 19-year-old was born in Revere MA just a few miles away from Fenway Park. He will become the fastest player to 100 home runs until an awful beaning occurred changing the course of history for the young slugger.

April 17, 1970 - - Bud Harrelson of the New York Mets hits a home run in the 1st inning of a 6 - 0 win over the Phillies. The homer is one of only seven in Harrelson's 16-year career and the only one he will ever hit in the 660 games played at Shea Stadium.

April 17, 1976 -- At Yankee owner's George Steinbrenner's insistence, Thurman Munson is named the team captain. The reluctant backstop is the first player to assume the role since the Bronx Bombers honored Lou Gehrig with the position in 1935.

April 17, 1976, At Wrigley Field, Mike Schmidt leads a Philadelphia Phillies assault with a single, four home runs in consecutive at-bats, and eight RBI to overcome a 12 - 1 deficit after three innings and beat the Chicago Cubs in 10 innings, 18 - 16. Chicago ties the game in the 9th after the Phillies have taken a 15 - 13 lead. Hitting .167 going into the game, Schmidt connects for two homers off Rick Reuschel, one off Mike Garman, and the last, a two-run shot off Reuschel's brother Paul in the 10th inning. Schmidt also becomes the first National League player in modern times to hit four home runs in a row. Full Broadcast below!

April 17, 1977 At memorial stadium Brooks Robinson's final home run is a three-run walk-off shot to give the Orioles a 6-5 win over the Indians in the 10th. It is the final homerun of his career.

TRIVIA

TRIVIA: Only one player has pitched no-nos in both his first and last complete game. Who is he?

IF you think you know the answer and bonus points for how many respond with details and if you are right I will give you a shut out! No Googling!

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 ANSWER TO YESTERDAY’S TRIVIA

YESTERDAY'S TRIVIA: On May 1, 1955, he combined with 21-year-old teammate on one of the most dominating pitching performances ever seen in a doubleheader. In the opener, he pitched a one-hitter over the Boston Red Sox, facing only 29 men; His teammate then fanned the first nine Boston batters he faced and ended with 16 strikeouts and a 2-1 win. The 16 K's were only two short of Feller's then-record 18. Who was he?

Answer: Herb Score. the last of his 43 career shutouts), He finished the year 16-10 and won the American League Rookie of the Year Award and set the record for strikeouts in a season by a rookie. Feller’s shutout was the last of his 43 career shutouts.

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