Holtzman took the mound on August 19th of 1969 and faced a tough Atlanta Braves team, led by Hank Aaron of course, while facing future Hall of Famer Phil Niekro.
After keeping the Braves hitless in the top of the first inning, Holtzman was given a three-run lead to work with when Ron Santo blasted his 25th homer of the season with two men on board.
Well, all Holtzman did was go the rest of the game, not only surrendering NO hits, but also doing it without the aid of a strikeout!
While he did walk three, he ended up winning his 14th game against seven losses, lowering his ERA to 3.12, throwing the games fifth no-hitter of the season.
Two years later, Holtzman would throw another no-hitter, and once again, would do it against the eventual Division champions, this time the Cincinnati Reds, loaded with the likes of Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Tony Perez.
That’s two no-hitters against top-notch teams! Just amazing.
