Sunday, December 11, 2016

TURN BACK THE CLOCK: KEN JOHNSON FIRST TO LOSE A CG NO-HITTER

Imagine reaching one of the heights of pitching magic in the Major Leagues and yet LOSING the game?
Today we look back at the first pitcher to LOSE an official no-hitter that he pitched, Ken Johnson of the Houston Colt .45’s:


On April 23, 1964, Johnson took the mound for the then-known Colt .45’s against the Cincinnati Reds.
With the score at 0-0 into the ninth-inning, Pete Rose reached second base on an error by Ken Johnson himself, went to third on a ground-out, then scored on another error, this one committed by future Hall of Fame second baseman Nellie Fox on a Vada Pinson grounder.
After opposing pitcher Joe Nuxhall retired the side in the bottom of the ninth, Johnson became the first pitcher to ever lose a complete-game no-hitter.
By the time Johnson retired after the 1970 season with the Montreal Expos, he left with a 91-106 record, primarily with losing teams, along with a 3.46 earned run average and 1042 strikeouts over 1737.1 innings and 334 appearances, 231 of them starts.

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