FanPost

'Imperfect games,' Part 3

Third and last in a series of posts

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On Sept. 19, 1950, Frank Hiller of the Cubs became the 33rd pitcher to face the minimum of 27 batters in a 9-inning complete game without pitching a perfect game.

Call it an "imperfect game," for short.

That night, at Philadelphia, the 30-year-old right hander retired the first 13 batters.

The 14th reached second base on a bunt single and throwing error by the third baseman, but was erased moments later when the center fielder made a shoestring catch and flipped the ball to the shortstop to double up the runner.

The 24th made a clean single, tried to steal and was tagged out in rundown, catcher to second baseman to first baseman to second baseman.

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The 34th imperfect game came 9 months and 9 days later, at St. Louis, on June 28, 1951.

It, too, was pitched by Hiller, making him only the second man to achieve the exceedingly rare feat twice.

The first had been future Hall of Famer Walter Johnson, second-winningest pitcher of all time, who had done it in 1913 against the Tigers and in 1921 against the Browns -- both at home.

Johnson's first imperfect game had come in the 207th of his eventual 666 career starts over 21 season; his second, in his 482nd.

Hiller's came in his 8th and 19th. He would make a total of just 60 during his 7 big league seasons, 38 of them in his 2 seasons as a Cub.

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PREVIOUS STARTS

Hiller was the Opening Day starter for the Cubs against the visiting Reds on April 17, 1951. He gave up 12 hits and walked 3, but went the distance in an 8-3 victory.,

He won his 2 later starts in April, including a 1-run 8-hitter at home vs. the Pirates.

Then Hiller yielded 11 runs, 10 earned, on 17 hits and 5 walks in losses to the Cardinals and Phillies.

He worked around 7 hits and 3 walks to shut out the Dodgers at Wrigley Field on May 17. His record was 4-2 and his ERA, 3.31.

But in his next 4 outings, Hiller was hit hard. In only 21 innings, he surrendered 21 runs, 19 earned, on 30 hits, 5 of them home runs, plus 7 walks and 2 hits batsmen.

He had faced 99 batters, of whom 39 reached base. Opponents batted .337 against him, slugged .584 and had an OPS of.982.

Hiller, now 4-5 with a 4.42 ERA, was sent to the bullpen.

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On June 22, he began the sixth inning at home against the Giants, who led the Cubs, 6-3. After getting the first out, Hiller gave up 2 straight hits, but on the second the lead runner was thrown out at third. A fly out ended the inning.

The next day, Hiller was summoned to the mound in the eighth, with 1 out, runners on first and second, and the Cubs in front, 7-4. He immediately coaxed a 6-4-3 double play, then retired the side in order in the ninth to earn a save.

He also earned the start 5 days later, in front of 8,747 fans under the lights at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis.

It was the rubber game of the series, as the Cubs had won the opener, 7-5, in 10 innings, then the Cards had romped to a 14-2 victory in Game 2.

That thrashing left the Cubs 27-33, in seventh place, 12 games behind the first-place Dodgers (41-23) and 4 behind the third-place Cardinals (33-31).

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'GRAND, ONE-SINGLE PERFORMANCE'

This is how Edward Burns of the Chicago Tribune began his account of the Thursday night contest:

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Twenty-seven Cardinals, the minimum, faced Frank Hiller here tonight in a grand one-single performance which resulted in an 8 to 0 victory for the Chicagoans.

Enos Slaughter, the unbenched oldster who was in the game because he made a triple, a double and two singles in last night's 14 to 2 St. Louis victory, spoiled Hiller's no-hit potential after he had run the count to three balls and two strikes with one out in the fifth.

Two Cardinals reached base. Tommy Glaviano walked at the start of the St. Louis offense [i.e., leading off the game]. Peanuts Lowrey lined to [shortstop] Jack Cusick and Glaviano was doubled off first.

After Slaughter's single, Del Rice grounded to Cusick and a double play ensued, Cusick to [second baseman] Eddie Miksis to [first baseman] Phil Cavarretta.

Thus the Cardinals did not leave a runner on base nor get one to second.

Hiller, who had not won a game since he shut out the Dodgers, 7 to 0, in Chicago on May 17, struck out seven, getting the great Stan Musial to retire the side in the first and fourth innings.

He had two strikes against Stan his third and last time at bat, but Musial tapped gently to Cavarretta, who tossed to Hiller on first for another third out.

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Hiller got 2 fly balls to center and a grounder to third in the eighth.

In the top of the ninth, Hiller smacked the last of 5 singles by the Cubs' first 6 batters. Then he store second as Cusick stole home.

A grounder and 2 walks loaded the bases, with Hiller on third, before a forceout at second ended the Cubs' 4-run inning.

The time on the basepaths didn't affect Hiller at all. A groundout, a popup to short and a fly to right by a pinch hitter ended his masterpiece.

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44 FOLLOWED HILLER

On Aug. 11, Max Lanier of the Cardinals faced 27 batters in a 2-hit, no-walk win over the Reds.

There have been 43 more imperfect games since then, for a total of 78 -- out of 411,030 starts by big league pitchers during the Modern Era, which began in 1901.

The most recent was by John Means of the Orioles, who threw a no-hitter at Seattle on May 5, 2021. He struck out 12, one of whom reached on a dropped third strike with 1 out in the third inning. He was gunned down when he tried to steal on the next pitch.

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BIG GAPS AMONG CUBS

Hiller's imperfect games were the sixth and seventh by the Cubs.

The first 3 came in less than 5 years, between Sept. 24, 1904, and Sept. 14, 1909.

They didn't have another for almost 33 years, until Aug. 23, 1942. The next came on Aug. 31, 1948, then the 2 by Hiller, making the count 4 in less than 9 years.

The Cubs have had only 1 more in the 71 years since Hiller's second. It came on May 24, 2001, less than 3 weeks short of the 50th anniversary of Hiller's repeat feat.

Following are brief synopses of the Cubs' imperfect games before and after the pair by Hiller.

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BOB WICKER, Sept. 24, 1904, at Brooklyn

Final score: 4-0, in Game 1 of doubleheader

Wicker "really pitched a no-hit game," according to the Chicago Tribune.

"That one hit the locals got could easily be called an error, as it was a grounder by [Harry] Lumley that rolled past first base and was thrown a little high by [Frank] Chance to Wicker, and Lumley was called safe. But he did not live to reach second, as [Johnny] Kling's wing was in good condition" when Lumley tried to steal.

Wicker walked none and struck out 7.

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He became the first National League pitcher with an imperfect game. The only previous such outing had been by Rube Waddell of the Athletics on July 1, 1902.

Wicker did not pitch another 1-hitter in his 6-year career, which included 2 full seasons and parts of 2 others as a Cub. He had thrown a 2-hitter about 3 1/2 months earlier, at New York, in which he faced 39 batters, as the game lasted 12 innings. He walked 1 and the Cubs won, 1-0.

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CARL LUNDGREN, Oct. 1, 1906, at Philadelphia

Final score: 4-0, in Game 1 of a doubleheader

Sam Leever's 27-batter 3-hitter against the Giants on May 17 had been the first since Wicker's. Lundgren's was next.

"But twenty-seven men interview Spud [i.e., Cub] Lundgren in the first game," wrote the great Charles Dryden, then working for the Philadelphia North American. "So completely were the Phillies vanquished that not a gent was left on base. Spud Lundgren was a human hurricane that swept them off the map.

"Gook [aka Sherry] Magee singled in the second and was caught stealing. [Paul] Sentell combed a safety in the seventh. 'Kitty' [Bransfield] forced him and was thrown out stealing.

"The Spuds played a perfect game, and Lundgren walked no man."

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He struck out 4 as the Cubs registered the 114th of their eventual-record 116 victories.

Lundgren faced at least 30 batters in his 149 career starts, all during 8 years with the Cubs. The 2-hitter in 1906 was his second of the season and fourth in 3 years. He never gave up fewer hits in a start.

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MORDECAI BROWN, Sept. 14, 1909, at Cincinnati

Final score: 4-0

"In applying the whitewash Mordecai Brown missed by the narrowest possible margin equaling the world's record for hurlers," I.E. Sanborn wrote in the Tribune.

"One lot hit perpetrated by [Dick] Egan in the fifth inning was all that stood between T. F. S. from Indiana [i.e., Brown] and the privilege of writing his name alongside that of Cy Young on the pages of baseball history [as only pitchers of perfect games].

"That solitary hit was all Cincinnati got off Brown, and, more than that, young Egan was the only Red who reached first base all day. he was immediately killed off in a double play, so that in one respect Brown tied all records.

"Only twenty-seven batsmen faced him in the nine innings, and that is the lowest possible number of men who can perform at the plate in a regulation contest."

Brown began the double play, grabbing a ball off the bat of Hans Lobert and throwing to shortstop Joe Tinker, who relayed to Frank Chance at first.

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Brown struck out 5 as he notched the 26th of his league-leading 27 wins in 1909. He also led in games (50), complete games (32), saves (7) and innings (342.2). All but the games would be career highs; he appeared in 53 games in 1911, last of his 6 consecutive seasons with at least 20 wins, and next-to-last of his 10 years as a Cub.

Brown had pitched 4 previous 1-hitters. In the 2 most recent, on May 17, 1908, and Aug. 1, 1909, he had faced 28 batters. He pitched 1 more, in which he faced 31, in 1915.

His imperfect game was the sixth of the Modern Era, half by Cubs pitchers.

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LON WARNEKE, Aug. 23, 1942, at home vs. Reds

Final score: 3-0, in Game 2 of a doubleheader

The Cubs had won the opener by the same score, as Claude Passeau scattered 9 hits and walked 2.

Warneke did not walk any and gave up only 2 hits.

After he retired the first 4 batters, Frank McCormick doubled to left. When Gee Walker grounded to shortstop Lennie Merullo, McCormick tried to take third. Merullo fired to Stan Hack, who tagged the runner.

Then Merullo took a peg from catcher Bob Scheffing and foiled Walker's attempt to steal second.

Lonny Fry led off the fourth with a single. Bert Haas bounced into a 6-4-3 double play, the first of 20 consecutive Reds retired by Warneke. The final 3 were a strikeout, a fly to right and popup caught by Scheffing in foul territory.

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Warneke had been a mainstay of the Cubs' staff in 1930-36, going 100-59 with a 2.85 ERA in 167 starts, of which he completed 110, 16 of them shutouts.

The Cubs traded him to the Cardinals shortly after the 1936 season, then brought him back, for $7,500, in July of 1942.

His imperfect game was his seventh start since then. He had been knocked out in less than 4 innings of his first 2. But he had allowed only 7 earned runs in his next 4, spanning 36.1 innings.

Then came his his imperfect outing, the 26th since 1901.

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HANK BOROWY, Aug. 31, 1948, at home vs. Dodgers

Final score: 3-0, in Game 1 of a doubleheader

Borowy was a major reason the Cubs had won the pennant in 1945, going 11-2 with a 2.13 ERA after he was purchased from the Yankees for $97,000 on July 27.

He had been 12-10, 3.76, in 1946, then 8-12, 4.38 in 1947.

He was just 4-5, 4.41, before his start on the final day of August. It was only his 12th start among 29 appearances.

In his previous start, 5 days earlier, Borowy had completed his first game of the year, beating the Braves, 5-2, despite allowing 10 hits and walking 2.

After a 1-2-3 first inning against the Dodgers, he gave up a leadoff single to Gene Hermanski in the second. He stayed at first as Duke Snider struck out, then headed for second on a 1-1 pitch to Gil Hodges.

Bob Scheffing's throw reached second baseman Emil Verban before Hermanski reached the base. Hermanski was tagged out, then Hodges fanned, the first of 22 that Borowy set down in order.

Each of the last 9 came on a ball in play, after Borowy had notched his seventh strikeout to end the sixth.

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Scheffing drove in all 3 runs, 2 on a 2-out triple in the fourth and the last on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly with 1 out in the sixth.

Borowy had pitched a 1-hitter for the Yankees in 1942, in which he faced 31 batters, and a 2-hitter the same year in which he faced 32.

He made 5 more starts for the Cubs in 1948, the longest of which ended after 4.2 innings. They added up to only 11.1 innings, during which he allowed 26 runs, 20 earned. He faced 71 batters, of whom 37 reached base, on 32 hits, 5 walks.

After the season, the Cubs sent Borowy and Eddie Waitkus to the Phillies, for pitchers Monk Dubiel and Dutch Leonard.

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JON LIEBER, May 24, 2001, at home vs. Reds

Final score: 3-0

There were 31 imperfect games between the second by Hiller in 1951 and Lieber's, the next by a Cub.

Lieber had come to the Cubs in December of 1998, in a 1-for-1 swap for outfielder Brant Brown, who had infamously made a 3-run, game-ending error late in that season.

Lieber went 10-11, 4.07, and 12-11, 4.41 in his first 2 years as a Cub. In second of those, 2000, he led all pitchers in both leagues in starts (35), innings pitched (251) and, of particular interest here, batters faced (1,047).

In 2001, he was 3-3, 3.71 in 9 starts going into the game against the Reds. He had been 3-1, 3.00, after the first 6, working at least 7 innings in each. In the last 3, he had thrown 18 innings and allowed 11 runs, an ERA of 5.50.

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It took the Cubs only 3 batters to score the only run that Lieber would require to beat the Reds. Eric Young doubled in the first, was bunted to third and came home on a single by Sammy Sosa.

Garry Matthews singled home another run in the second, then homered leading off the fifth.

Lieber recorded his 16th consecutive out to begin the sixth, then Juan Castro lined a single to right. Pitcher Scott Winchester bunted a 1-1 pitch toward Lieber. He picked up the ball and threw it to shortstop Rick Gutierrez, who forced out Castro and fired to first baseman Julio Zuleta to double up Winchester.

Lieber walked Castro on a 3-2 count with 1 out in the ninth. Ruben Rivera batted for Winchester and on the seventh pitch, with the count again 3-2, Rivera grounded to the right side, where Young, Gutierrez and Zuleta teamed up on a game-ending double play.

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Lieber went on to win 20 games for the Cubs, while losing only 6. Then he slumped to 6-8 in 2002, when he was sidelined after Aug. 1. He became a free agent and signed with the Yankees.

He returned to the Cubs in 2008, at age 38, for his final season, in which he went 2-3, 4.05 in 26 games. Only 1 was a start, and in it he gave up 7 hits, 4 of them home runs, while facing just 13 batters in 2 innings.

His imperfect game was the only 1 of his 327 career starts in which Lieber faced fewer than 31 batters.

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IMPERFECTION VS. CUBS

Here are the 5 imperfect games thrown against the Cubs:

Aug. 20, 1916: Jack Coombs, Robins (today's Dodgers), at Wrigley Field; score, 1-0. Runners reached on a walk in the first, an error in the fourth and a single by Max Flack leading off the seventh. The first 2 runners were caught stealing and Flack was erased in a double play. Of note, Coombs caught his spikes in the dirt while throwing a first-inning pitch and took a header.

Sept. 2, 1945: Red Barrett, Cardinals, at St. Louis; score, 7-0 -- Lennie Merullo singled leading off the third and immediately was caught stealing. He was Cubs' only runner.

May 10, 1955: Don Newcomb, Dodgers, at Wrigley Field; score, 3-0 -- Gene Baker singled with 1 out in the fourth and was caught stealing with 2 out. The final 15 Cubs made outs.

Sept. 27, 1973: Reggie Cleveland, Cardinals, at Wrigley Field; score, 2-0 -- Ken Rudolph singled with 2 out in the sixth. Pitcher Burt Hooton's bunt attempt turned into a double play and 9 more outs followed.

April 26, 2002: Odalis Perez, Dodgers, at Wrigley Field; score, 10-0 -- Corey Patterson singled leading off the seventh, then Chris Stynes grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.

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FAMILIAR NAMES

Here are some of the better-known pitchers, who threw an imperfect game, in chronological order:

Cy Young (1908), Dazzy Vance (1925), Carl Hubbell (1940), ex-Cub Larry French (1942), Lew Burdette (1960), Warren Spahn (1961), Sandy Koufax (1964), Jim Palmer (1967), Bob Forsch (1975), Bob Welch (180), Mike Flanagan (1982), Orel Hershiser (1985), Bret Saberhagen (1985), Floyd Bannister (1987), Jack Morris (1990), ex-Cub Terry Mulholland (1990), Dennis Rasmussen (1992), Mark Buehrle (2004 and 2007), Roy Oswalt (2008), ex-Cub Matt Garza (2010), Justin Verlander and ex-Cub Andrew Cashner (2013).

Young, Koufax and Buehrle also pitched perfect games.



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