The First No-Hitter Ever

The First No-Hitter Ever (1876)

George Bradley was the only real pitcher the St. Louis Brown Stockings had in 1876, and on this day he gave the game something it had never seen. He held the Hartford Dark Blues without a hit, winning 2-0, for the first no-hitter in National League history and the first Major League Baseball still recognizes. His nickname was Grin, for the smile he wore while carving up hitters. More than 200 pitchers have thrown a no-hitter since. He started the list.

Twelve Hits in a Row (1952)

Walt Dropo, a six-foot-five slugger they called the Moose from Moosup, went on a tear that still sits in the record book. After going 5 for 5 in New York on July 14, he came to Washington for a doubleheader and ran his streak to 12 straight hits before he finally popped out. Twelve hits in twelve trips to the plate, no walks, no outs, no mercy. More than seventy years later, nobody has ever pushed it to 13. Dropo just shrugged and said he was tickled to tie it.

Bench Answers a Legend (1980)

For years the argument over the best hitting catcher came down to Johnny Bench and Yogi Berra, and on this day Bench settled a piece of it. In the fifth inning at Riverfront Stadium he drove out his 314th home run as a catcher, passing Berra for the most ever at the position. The next day a telegram arrived from Berra, by then a Yankees coach. It read, in perfect Yogi: I always thought the record would stand until it was broken.

The Number Nobody Wants (2007)

Every franchise chases round numbers. The Phillies reached one on this day that no club in the history of pro sports had ever touched: their 10-2 loss to the Cardinals was the 10,000th defeat in franchise history. Fans showed up with signs, ESPN sent a crew, and the whole city leaned into the gallows humor. Then that beaten-down 2007 team caught fire, won the division, and a year later won the World Series. Sometimes rock bottom is just the floor you push off.