Special Delivery, By Hand

Special Delivery, By Hand (1956)

Mel Parnell was 34, his arm failing, three wins on the season, when he no-hit the White Sox at Fenway Park, Boston's first no-hitter in 33 years. Then came the last out, a soft comebacker to the mound. Parnell looked at first, weighed the throw that could ruin everything, and decided against it. He ran the ball over himself and stepped on the bag. His career ended months later, which makes it perfect. The last great thing he ever did, he refused to leave to chance.

Five Hundred, With an Echo (1968)

Hank Aaron drove a Mike McCormick pitch over the fence in Atlanta for career home run No. 500, off the reigning Cy Young winner. He was just the eighth man to reach the club, with 255 more homers still in that quiet bat. Here's the detail history students love: exactly one year earlier, to the day, his old Braves teammate Eddie Mathews had hit HIS 500th. Some clubs mail invitations. This one apparently books July 14.

The Exhibition That Wasn't (1970)

The All-Star Game is supposed to be a friendly. Nobody told Pete Rose. In the 12th inning at Cincinnati's brand-new Riverfront Stadium, Rose rounded third on a single and met catcher Ray Fosse at home plate at full speed, shoulder first. The ball skipped away, the NL won 5-4, and Fosse, 23 years old and hitting .312 at the break, played on with what turned out to be a fractured, separated shoulder. He was never the same power hitter, and he carried that night with him for the rest of his life.

Take It Up With Mom (1972)

At Tiger Stadium, Detroit catcher Tom Haller settled in behind the plate and the umpire crouched in behind him: his own big brother, Bill. It's the only time in major-league history the catcher and the plate umpire have been brothers. Every borderline pitch was suddenly a family matter. Kansas City won 1-0, meaning Bill called an awfully tight game on his little brother's pitching staff. No word on how Thanksgiving went.