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- ⚾ Sonny Siebert’s Surprising No-Hitter Shakes the Stadium
⚾ Sonny Siebert’s Surprising No-Hitter Shakes the Stadium
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June 10, 1966, with the AL pennant race heating up, the Cleveland Indians sent Sonny Siebert to the mound against the Washington Senators. Siebert had struggled in his last start, giving up seven runs to Minnesota, and entered the night with a modest 4–3 record and a 3.39 ERA. But what happened at Cleveland Stadium that evening would be one of the season’s most unexpected gems.
Leon Wagner gave Cleveland an early 1–0 lead with a towering solo home run in the bottom of the first. In the third, Vic Davalillo walked, stole second, and scored on a Chico Salmon single to stretch the lead to 2–0. That would be all the offense the Indians needed.
Siebert, meanwhile, was untouchable.
He retired the first 13 Senators he faced, mixing sliders and fastballs with pinpoint control. A fifth-inning walk to Dick Nen ended his bid for a perfect game, but Siebert didn’t flinch. With steady defense behind him—including a leaping grab by Max Alvis in the eighth and a running catch by Chuck Hinton in the ninth—Siebert mowed down Washington hitters inning after inning.
The tension peaked in the ninth. With two outs, pinch-hitter Fred Valentine grounded out, and Don Blasingame followed with a grounder to first. One out away. Bob Saverine, who had hit Siebert hard earlier, stepped in. After fouling off two pitches and nearly striking out on a borderline fastball, he sent a fly ball to left-center. Hinton, a defensive sub just for that moment, sprinted and made the catch.
No hits. No runs. Sonny Siebert had just thrown the first no-hitter in the American League that season.
His wife Carol, who had jokingly teased him earlier in the day about his recent struggles, now had a story for the ages. “He wasn’t kidding when he said it,” she laughed.
From sarcasm to stardom—Siebert's night was one for the books.
Did you know?
June 10, 1967 -- In front of his family and friends, Astros' outfielder Jimmy Wynn, a Cincinnati native, hits the longest home run in the history of Crosley Field. The Toy Cannon's monstrous shot off right-hander Mel Queen in the team's 9-4 loss to the Reds clears the 58-foot scoreboard in left-center and bounces onto Interstate 75 outside the stadium. Listen to the blast
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TRIVIA:
Which player’s career batting average not only leads every active player at his position, but is in the all-time top ten for that position?
Hint: A prestigious award once named for a Hall of Famer is now more appropriately awarded in honor of his name.
Hint: His likeness on the grounds of his home ballpark is made of an entirely different material from the ones his team had had erected for the five statues of its Hall of Famers.
June 10, 1912 In the opener with the Giants‚ the Cubs top the league leaders‚ 9 - 8‚ despite New York's Chief Meyers hitting for the cycle. The Chief is the first major league catcher to cycle. Heinie Zimmerman answers with two homers for Chicago.
June 10, 1937, the Washington Senators trade outfielder Ben Chapman and pitcher Bobo Newsom to the Boston Red Sox for catcher Rick Ferrell and pitcher Wes Ferrell, who are brothers. Wes Ferrell will win 24 games in parts of two seasons with Washington before being traded to the New York Yankees in the midst of the 1938 season. Rick, the catcher, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984, but his brother Wes, the pitcher, will hit more career home runs.
June 10, 1944, At Crosley Field, Joe Nuxhall, at 15 years, 10 months and 11 days, becomes the youngest player in major league history when he pitches two-thirds of an inning for the Cincinnati Reds in an 18 - 0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. After being called in the ninth inning into a 13-0 rout, he manages to give up 5 walks and 2 hits before Bill McKechnie takes him out. The Cards tie a league record by stranding 18 runners in the most lopsided shutout win in the National League in 10 years. The loser at the end of the day is Bill Lohrman. Nuxhall will stay in the Reds organization for over sixty years, becoming best known as the voice for the team’s radio broadcasts.
June 10, 1953, At Sportsman Park, the Red Sox welcome Max Lanier to the American League by handing him his first loss. Jimmy Piersall of the Boston Red Sox goes 6-for-6 in the first game of a doubleheader. Piersall’s performance spearheads an 11-2 victory over the St. Louis Browns. Piersall is hitless in game 2‚ a 3 - 2 Sox win‚ and is sent sprawling to the ground by Satchel Paige. Piersall had infuriated Paige during a game in his rookie season by mimicking the right-hander's every move.
June 10, 1959, At Memorial Stadium Rocky Colavito of the Cleveland Indians homers in four consecutive at-bats against the Baltimore Orioles. Colavito becomes only the second player to hit home runs in four straight at-bats in one game. The Tribe defeats the Orioles, 11-8. The New York City native joins Lou Gehrig as the only ones to accomplish the feat with four consecutive shots at this time.
June 10, 1974, Mike Schmidt hits what may be the longest single in major league history. The Philadelphia Phillies’ third baseman slams a ball off Astros hurler Claude Osteen toward center field, with enough distance to clear the fence at the Houston Astrodome. The ball suddenly hits a caroms of the public address speaker that hangs from the Astrodome’s ceiling hanging 117 feet in the air and 329 feet from home plate. Center fielder Cesar Cedeno fields the ball quickly and holds Schmidt to one base. The Rice University mathematics department calculates the Astrodome blast would have traveled 550 feet if left unimpeded. . . .Listen to the blast
June 10, 1980, Kansas City Royals George Brett tears ligaments in his ankle on an attempted steal in the 3rd inning against the Cleveland Indians and misses a month. Brett homered in the first against Len Barker, he was hitting .337 at the time.
June 10, 1981, The Philadelphia Phillies’ Pete Rose hits a single in the 1st inning off Nolan Ryan that gives him 3,630 hits, tying Stan Musial’s National League mark. The Phillies beat the Houston Astros, 5 – 4, before more than 57,000 fans at Veterans Stadium.
June 10, 1992 At County Stadium‚ Mark McGwire hits his 22nd homer of the year and his career 200th off Brewer starter Chris Bosio. It comes in his 2‚852nd at bat‚ and he is the 5th quickest to reach 200. Winning for first-place Oakland, by a score of 5-2 is Ron Darling. The 28 year-old slugger will end the season with 42 round-trippers, en route to a career total of 583.
June 10 1997 in Kansas City, the Angels win, 6 - 2‚ to move ahead of Seattle in the AL West. Center fielder Jim Edmonds makes a sensational catch in the 5th inning and then drives home the go-ahead run with a double in the 6th. Rookie Jason Dickson retires 11 of the first 12 batters and allows two runs in seven innings.
Quote of the day:
"After the game Schmidt professed frustration at the loss of a home run. “There’s no doubt it would have been a home run,” he reasoned, “and I said to myself, ‘That damn speaker cost me a homer.’ If for some reason late in the season I’m one short [of the home run lead], I’ll think back about it.”
Milestones
Birthdays:Highlights: Johnny Edwards | Debuts:Notable: Dale Maxvill |
Final Games:Highlights: Al Milnar | Passings:Notable: Don Hood |
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