The reigning National league Rookie of the Year came into the 1976 season with high expectations and didn’t disappoint, culminating with a 9-0 win over the Atlanta Braves, keeping them hitless and giving the Major Leagues their fourth no-hitter of the Bicentennial season.
Coming into the game with a 15-14 record, Montefusco came within one pitch of a Perfect Game, settling for the no-hitter that only had a walk to lead-off hitter Jerry Royster .
He struck out four while completing his no-no in just under two hours, at one hour and 59 minutes to be exact. Can you imaging a game these days coming in under two hours?
The no-hitter gave Montefusco an NL leading six shutouts for the season, finishing up with a 16-14 record, along with an ERA of 2.84 with 11 complete games and 172 strikeouts in 253.1 innings of work.