Posted by thejuice6 on 4/12/2016 11:41:00 AM (view original):
Reading that article, I thought this quote by Bill Veeck about that no-hitter was classic reading:
Big Bobo went out and pitched against the Athletics, the softest competition we could find, and everything he threw up was belted. And everywhere the ball went, there was a Brownie there to catch it. It was such a hot and humid and heavy night that long fly balls which seemed to be heading out of the park would die and be caught against the fence. Just when Bobo looked as if he was tiring, a shower would sweep across the field, delaying the game long enough for him to get a rest. Allie Clark hit one into the left-field stands that curved foul at the last second. A bunt just rolled foul on the last spin. Our fielding was superb. The game went into the final innings and nobody had got a base hit off Big Bobo. On the final out of the eighth inning, Billy Hunter made an impossible diving stop on a ground ball behind second base and an even more impossible throw. With two out in the ninth, a ground ball was rifled down the first base line — right at our first baseman, Vic Wertz. Big Bobo had pitched the quaintest no-hitter in the history of the game.[10]
there is even more to the story: Bobo was about to be sent down to the minors - this was his only season in the big leagues, he had pitched a reliever to that point and not well- he finished his career 3-7 with a 5.23 ERA. But he asked Veeck for a chance to start and Veeck let him, and he pitched the no-hitter.
This now screwed up Veeck's plans, which were to use $31,000 to purchase the contract of a minor league Shortstop named...Ernie Banks !
So now, with the fans wanting more of their rookie sensation, he was obliged to spend $25,000 on the option for Bobo, and couldn't get Ernie Banks for the Browns.