TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

Harvey Haddix did the improbable back in 1959 when he pitched 12 perfect innings for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Milwaukee Braves. But in the 13th, a throwing error, a sacrifice, and a double not only cost him the perfect game, but the victory as well.

Pedro Martinez was in almost the same boat as Haddix on June 3, 1995, when he threw nine perfect innings against the San Diego Padres. Unlike Haddix, Martinez had a chance to gain the victory and immortality with a perfect 10th, as his teammates had scored the go-ahead run in the top of the frame. But Bip Roberts ended Pedro’s pursuit of perfection when he led off with a double that right fielder Tony Tarasco had no chance of catching. “It was a lucky hit to a lucky spot,” Roberts told reporters.1

It was one of those classic pitchers’ duels as Joey Hamilton of the Padres stayed in tune with Martinez, allowing no runs on three hits through nine innings. “That’s big-league pitching at its best right there,”’ San Diego’s Tony Gwynn said of Martinez. “Not much you can say except superb and awesome. Tip your hat.”2

Prior to Roberts’ double, Martinez had pretty much breezed through the game, although he received some great defensive help from his teammates on four hard-hit line-drive outs — Roberts to second base in the fourth, Jody Reed to third base in the sixth, Brad Ausmus to right in the eighth, and Scott Livingstone, pinch-hitting for Reed, to deep right in the ninth, a blast that Tarasco caught as he banged into the wall.

“We went on to win but according to the rulebook, I could not be given credit for a perfect game even though I had gone nine perfect innings,” Martinez said. “Reporters afterward told me that the last person to lose a perfect game in extra innings was Harvey Haddix. I really wasn’t that upset about losing a perfect game according to a technicality. Everyone with the Expos thought I received some vindication.

“I know I’m still young but I’ve been around long enough now that I think I’ve shown some people what I can do. I’m not here to hurt anybody. But it seems like whenever I pitch, it’s always the bad things that are brought up. It’s never ‘Pedro Martinez was 11-5 last year’ or they never look back to how good I was in Los Angeles as a reliever. It’s only the bad.”3

That “bad” stemmed from Martinez’s tendency to pitch just a little bit inside. Back on April 13, 1994, Martinez had pitched seven perfect innings against the Cincinnati Reds in Montreal before hitting Reggie Sanders with a pitch, prompting Sanders to charge the mound, and setting off a mini-melee. That was an example of the so-called “reputation” Martinez was gaining in only his second full season in the majors. Later that season, another brouhaha erupted after Martinez struck out Derek Bell of the San Diego Padres. Bell had barely made it back to the San Diego dugout when he turned around and ran to the mound to confront Martinez.

“This shouldn’t be my first reputation as a pitcher because I have been here not very long, but long enough to show what I can do. When I’m fine, I can do a lot of stuff. I don’t want to fight anybody. I’m here to play the game like I did tonight.”4

Sitting in his manager’s chair off to the side of the clubhouse after the game, manager Felipe Alou was impressed with Martinez’s reply about vindication. “This was the best answer Pedro could give to all the harassment he’s been going through,” Alou said. “I’m not surprised that he threw this kind of game.”5

Because of his tendency to go inside too often and keep batters on their toes, Martinez didn’t think the near-perfect game would change things much as far as he was concerned. “I still had some control problems. Felipe didn’t want me to stop pitching inside but he was in the middle of a jam, taking a lot of heat that I was generating,” Martinez said.6

But back to that almost perfect game. In the Expos’ half of the 10th inning, Shane Andrews singled to left off reliever Brian Williams, and after Martinez popped out attempting a sacrifice bunt, Andrews reached second when Lou Frazier drew a base on balls and scored when Jeff Treadway singled.

Manager Alou took Martinez out of the game immediately after Roberts got his hit. Martinez received a standing ovation from the crowd as he exited, and acknowledged the fans with a wave of his glove as he jogged toward the dugout. Mel Rojas took the mound and almost blew the lead when he threw a wild pitch that sent Roberts to third. After Steve Finley grounded out to first base unassisted, Rojas had to face the great Tony Gwynn. Gwynn grounded to Treadway at second; Roberts was off at the crack of the bat, but Treadway’s throw to catcher Darrin Fletcher was in time for the out. Ken Caminiti fouled out to end the game.

“I’m still mad that I didn’t get a big hit in that game to get Pedro the perfect-game victory,” recalled Fletcher. “I had a chance in the top of the [ninth] to drive in a run with a man on [first] with [no] outs but I flew out to center. The thing I remember the most is feeling sorry for Pedro because we could not push a run across for him.”7

Had Martinez been credited with a perfect game, it would have been the second in Expos history. His masterpiece came almost four years after Dennis “El Presidente” Martinez (no relation) threw a perfect no-no on July 28, 1991, against the Dodgers in Los Angeles that the Expos won 2-0.

This article appeared in “Au jeu/Play Ball: The 50 Greatest Games in the History of the Montreal Expos” (SABR, 2016), edited by Norm King.

Features OVER 60 Games -

Interview vault includes:

Many of highlights and interviews including his Hall of Fame Speech

June 3, 1918 — Dutch Leonard, facing only 28 batters, tosses his second career no-hitter when he holds the Detroit Tigers hitless in the Red Sox’ 5-0 victory at Navin Field. ‘Hub’ had also pitched a no-no against the Browns two seasons ago at Fenway Park.

June 3, 1925, Eddie Collins of the Chicago White Sox collects his 3,000th major league hit. The future Hall of Famer singles against Detroit’s Harry “Rip” Collins, who is not related to the star second baseman. The White Sox end up defeating the Tigers, 12-7.

June 3, 1932 – in Shibe Park, Tony Lazzeri blasts a grand slam to complete his natural cycle, with his four hits being accomplished in sequential order: single, double, triple, home run. This rare and amazing feat is overshadowed by Lou Gehrig becomes the first player to hit 4 home runs in the same game. Gehrig, narrowly, misses a 5th homerun when Al Simmons snags a line drive at the wall.

June 3, 1937, Josh Gibson is credited with a drive that hits just two feet below the rim of Yankee Stadium, about 580 feet from home plate.

June 3, 1955 At Ebbets Field, Stan Musial hits the 300th home run of his career off Johnny Podres in a 12-5 loss to the Brooklyn Dodgers.

June 3, 1967 — Harmon Killebrew launches the longest home run ever hit in Metropolitan Stadium, a 503-foot shot which travels deep in the second deck of the left-center field bleachers. Killebrew, said, “I think it was a fastball, up, that I hit. How can you compare homers? This one felt good, but then the one I hit in Detroit carried over the roof in left field.”

June 3, 1967, Rick Monday. Kansas City’s 21-year-old rookie standout, was struck in the face by a pitch in the first inning by Gary Peters of the White Sox and was carried off the field bleeding from inside the mouth. X-rays revealed no fractures, and he is expected to be ready to return to action immediately. The A’s have the last laugh grabbing a 3-1 win.

June 3, 1975 – With 4,129 fans in attendance on a Tuesday night at the Oakland Coliseum, Hank Aaron connects for a double off Jim Perry in the 1st inning. The hit is career #3,631 for Hank and he passes Stan Musial and moves into 2nd place, at the time, on the all-time hits list.

Audio highlight - Hank Aaron with Leo Cloutier in 1972

June 3, 1978 — Davey Johnson’s ninth-inning bases-loaded home run off Terry Forster gives the Phillies a 5-1 walk-off victory over Los Angeles at Veterans Stadium. The 35 year-old second baseman is the first major leaguer to pinch-hit two grand slams in one season.

Audio highlight - Davey Johnson Hardball

June 3, 2000, Sparky Anderson & Dave Concepcion were inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame. “Twenty-five years ago, I knew how great they were,” said Anderson, who also won a World Series in Detroit. “But I realize now the greatest bunch of people I have ever seen in any professional sport was the 1975-76 Reds because they were so professional and knew how to go, about winning and knew how to act.” Anderson threw a ceremonial first pitch to Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench, a lob that made it on the fly. Concepcion, who perfected the bounce throw to first base on artificial turf, then purposely skipped his first pitch to Bench on one hop.

TRIVIA

TRIVIA: Which Hall of Famer made his National League debut on the first day players were required to take their gloves with them when they left the field at the end of each half inning?

Hint: #1 In Rookie-of-the-Year voting, he finished behind a teammate who would go on to play professional basketball.

Hint: #2 He is in the five-hundred-home-run club yet never hit as many as fifty home runs in any individual season.

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