On This Date in Sports August 19, 1969
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
Ken Holtzman of the Chicago Cubs throws an unusual No-Hitter against the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field. Holtzman is just the third pitcher in Major League history and the first in the National League to throw a No-Hitter, without recording a strikeout in a 3-0 win. Walking three Braves, Ken Holtzman was helped by the wind blowing in and a fine Cubs defense.
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Ken Holtzman was born in St. Louis on November 3, 1945. After making his debut with the Chicago Cubs in 1965, he began drawing comparisons to Sandy Koufax as Jewish lefthanded pitcher. While not as overpowering as Koufax, Holtzman was developing into a solid starter and was a key reason behind the Cubs surge to the top of the National League East.
On a Tuesday afternoon, the Cubs led by Leo Durocher, were still in first place as they sent Ken Holtzman to the mound against the hard-hitting Atlanta Braves, managed by Lum Harris. After Holtzman quickly set down the Braves, in the first the Cubs looked to make noise against Atlanta starter Phil Niekro. The Cubs got off to a good start as Don Kessinger and Glenn Beckert led off with back-to-back singles. After a strikeout by Billy Williams, Ron Santo provided the game’s only offense with a three-run home run. Ken Holtzman who did not record a strikeout relied on his outfield defense, as most of his outs were recorded in the air. The Braves got their first baserunner in the third inning when Gil Garrido walked with one out, Bob Didier would later walk with two outs in the fifth. In the seventh inning, it appeared that Holtzman would be denied history as Hank Aaron crushed a ball that appeared to be heading for Waveland Avenue, however, the wind pushed it back and allowed Billy Williams to make the catch with his back against the Ivy-Covered wall. Holtzman walked Rico Carty the following hitter but settled down to get Orlando Cepeda and Clete Boyer to fly out. Facing the top of the order in the ninth, Ken Holtzman got a popup to Kessinger at shortstop, off the bat of Felipe Alou. Felix Millan followed with a groundout to Santo at third, while Hank Aaron grounded to Beckert at second base to complete the No Hitter. With the 3-0 win, Ken Holtzman improved to 14-7 on the season as the Cubs sat in first place at 77-45.
Ken Holtzman would finish the season with a record of 17-13, as the Cubs were overtaken by the New York Mets for the first division championship in the National League East. Two years later, Holtzman tossed a second no-hitter with the Cubs, this time with strikeouts included. The no hit, no strikeout game was just the third overall in Major League history and the first in the National League. The first one occurred in 1912 when Earl Hamilton of the St. Louis Browns beat the Detroit Tigers, while Sam Jones of the New York Yankees did it in 1923 against the Philadelphia Athletics. There has not been another no-hitter with a strikeout since.