Don Cardwell
Encyclopedia
Donald Eugene Cardwell was an American
right-handed pitcher
in Major League Baseball
who played for five National League
teams from 1957 to 1970. He was the first pitcher in major league history to pitch a no-hitter
in his first game after being traded, hurling a 4-0 gem on May 15, 1960, two days after being traded from the Philadelphia Phillies
to the Chicago Cubs
. After winning 15 games for the 1961 Cubs, he twice won
13 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates
before helping the New York Mets
win the 1969 World Series
title.
Born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
, Cardwell signed with the Phillies as an amateur free agent in . He debuted in and struggled in three seasons with the Phillies, winning 16 games while losing 24 as a spot starter.
On May 13, 1960 Cardwell was traded to the Cubs for Tony Taylor
. Two days later, he no-hit the St. Louis Cardinals
in the second game of a doubleheader
at Wrigley Field
—the first no-hitter ever thrown by a pitcher in his first start with a new team. The lone baserunner was on a walk
to Alex Grammas
with one out in the first inning; Cardwell then retired the next 26 batters. Two ninth-inning catches enabled Cardwell to secure the no-hitter: one by right fielder George Altman
on a Carl Sawatski
line drive
for the first out of the inning, and one by left fielder Walt "Moose" Moryn
on Joe Cunningham
's sinking line drive to end the game, Moryn catching the ball just inches off the ground. Despite the no-hit heroics, Cardwell finished 9-16 in 1960, although the Cubs as a team were only slightly better at 60-94. However, he also displayed his abilities as a batter with 16 hits
(five of which were home run
s) in 77 at bat
s for a .208 batting average
.
Cardwell's best season was in ; he won a career-high 15 games and also posted a career-best 156 strikeout
s. After slumping to 7-16 in , Cardwell was traded on October 17, along with Altman, to the Cardinals. However, his stay in St. Louis ended before he'd even pitched a game for the Cardinals. A month later the Redbirds traded him to the Pirates for Dick Groat
.
Cardwell won 13 games for the Pirates in while posting a career-best 3.07 earned run average
, then suffered severe arm trouble in . He rebounded to win 13 more games in before being traded to the Mets in December of along with outfielder Don Bosch
for pitcher Dennis Ribant
and utilityman Gary Kolb
.
Pitching mostly as a spot starter, Cardwell went 12-22 in his first two seasons with the Mets. In he went 8-10 in a rotation with Tom Seaver
, Jerry Koosman
, Nolan Ryan
and Gary Gentry
, helping them unexpectedly win the World Series
. In late July of that year he had a 3-9 record, then won five straight, including a 1-0 shutout in the second game of a September 12 doubleheader against the Pirates (in the first game, Koosman had also blanked the Pirates 1-0; both pitchers drove in the only run in their respective games). This victory, the ninth of a ten-game winning streak for the Mets, came two days after the Mets had taken over first place for good in the National League East
(in 1969 the two leagues had been split into two divisions) by leapfrogging past the Chicago Cubs, who had been in first place for much of the season, only to stumble late in the season.
Cardwell was sold to the Atlanta Braves
in midseason the following year, where he ended his career.
In his 14 seasons, Cardwell won 102 games while losing 138 with 1211 strikeouts in 2122⅔ innings pitched
.
Cardwell died on January 14, 2008 in Winston-Salem. He had lived in Clemmons
at the time of the death.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
right-handed pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
who played for five National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
teams from 1957 to 1970. He was the first pitcher in major league history to pitch a no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
in his first game after being traded, hurling a 4-0 gem on May 15, 1960, two days after being traded from the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
to the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
. After winning 15 games for the 1961 Cubs, he twice won
Win (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
13 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
before helping the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
win the 1969 World Series
1969 World Series
The 1969 World Series was played between the New York Mets and the Baltimore Orioles, with the Mets prevailing in five games to accomplish one of the greatest upsets in Series history, as that particular Orioles squad was considered to be one of the finest ever...
title.
Born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
, Cardwell signed with the Phillies as an amateur free agent in . He debuted in and struggled in three seasons with the Phillies, winning 16 games while losing 24 as a spot starter.
On May 13, 1960 Cardwell was traded to the Cubs for Tony Taylor
Tony Taylor
Antonio Nemesio Taylor is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1958 through , Taylor played for the Chicago Cubs , Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers...
. Two days later, he no-hit the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
in the second game of a doubleheader
Doubleheader (baseball)
A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...
at Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
—the first no-hitter ever thrown by a pitcher in his first start with a new team. The lone baserunner was on a walk
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
to Alex Grammas
Alex Grammas
Alexander Peter Grammas is a former Major League infielder and manager. A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Grammas played in the National League for the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago Cubs. He finished his career with a .969 overall fielding percentage...
with one out in the first inning; Cardwell then retired the next 26 batters. Two ninth-inning catches enabled Cardwell to secure the no-hitter: one by right fielder George Altman
George Altman
George Lee Altman is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball. From through , Altman played for the Chicago Cubs , St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets...
on a Carl Sawatski
Carl Sawatski
Carl Ernest Sawatski was a catcher for the Chicago Cubs , Chicago White Sox , Milwaukee Braves , Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals...
line drive
Line drive
In baseball, a line drive is a type of batted ball, sharply hit, and on a level trajectory. The threshold between a line drive and a fly ball can be subjective....
for the first out of the inning, and one by left fielder Walt "Moose" Moryn
Moose Moryn
Walter Joseph "Moose" Moryn was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, Moryn played in the majors from through for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, St...
on Joe Cunningham
Joe Cunningham
Joseph Robert Cunningham, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and left-handed batter who played for the St. Louis Cardinals , Chicago White Sox , and Washington Senators ....
's sinking line drive to end the game, Moryn catching the ball just inches off the ground. Despite the no-hit heroics, Cardwell finished 9-16 in 1960, although the Cubs as a team were only slightly better at 60-94. However, he also displayed his abilities as a batter with 16 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
(five of which were home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s) in 77 at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
s for a .208 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.
Cardwell's best season was in ; he won a career-high 15 games and also posted a career-best 156 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s. After slumping to 7-16 in , Cardwell was traded on October 17, along with Altman, to the Cardinals. However, his stay in St. Louis ended before he'd even pitched a game for the Cardinals. A month later the Redbirds traded him to the Pirates for Dick Groat
Dick Groat
Richard Morrow Groat is a former two-sport athlete best known as a shortstop in Major League Baseball. He played for four National League teams, mainly the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals, and was named the league's Most Valuable Player in after winning the batting title with a .325...
.
Cardwell won 13 games for the Pirates in while posting a career-best 3.07 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
, then suffered severe arm trouble in . He rebounded to win 13 more games in before being traded to the Mets in December of along with outfielder Don Bosch
Don Bosch
Donald John "Don" Bosch was a Major League Baseball player and minor league baseball all-star....
for pitcher Dennis Ribant
Dennis Ribant
Dennis Joseph Ribant is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, and Cincinnati Reds.-References:...
and utilityman Gary Kolb
Gary Kolb
Gary Alan Kolb is a retired American professional baseball player. An outfielder and utilityman, Kolb played all or parts of seven seasons of Major League Baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Braves, New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates...
.
Pitching mostly as a spot starter, Cardwell went 12-22 in his first two seasons with the Mets. In he went 8-10 in a rotation with Tom Seaver
Tom Seaver
George Thomas "Tom" Seaver , nicknamed "Tom Terrific" and "The Franchise", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched from 1967-1986 for four different teams in his career, but is noted primarily for his time with the New York Mets...
, Jerry Koosman
Jerry Koosman
Jerome Martin Koosman is a former left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies between 1967 and 1985...
, Nolan Ryan
Nolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. , nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers....
and Gary Gentry
Gary Gentry
Gary Edward Gentry , is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, who played seven seasons for the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves between 1969 and 1975....
, helping them unexpectedly win the World Series
1969 World Series
The 1969 World Series was played between the New York Mets and the Baltimore Orioles, with the Mets prevailing in five games to accomplish one of the greatest upsets in Series history, as that particular Orioles squad was considered to be one of the finest ever...
. In late July of that year he had a 3-9 record, then won five straight, including a 1-0 shutout in the second game of a September 12 doubleheader against the Pirates (in the first game, Koosman had also blanked the Pirates 1-0; both pitchers drove in the only run in their respective games). This victory, the ninth of a ten-game winning streak for the Mets, came two days after the Mets had taken over first place for good in the National League East
National League East
The National League East Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies are tied for the most National League East Division titles . All of Atlanta's NL East titles came during a record stretch of 14 consecutive division titles...
(in 1969 the two leagues had been split into two divisions) by leapfrogging past the Chicago Cubs, who had been in first place for much of the season, only to stumble late in the season.
Cardwell was sold to the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in midseason the following year, where he ended his career.
In his 14 seasons, Cardwell won 102 games while losing 138 with 1211 strikeouts in 2122⅔ innings pitched
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
.
Cardwell died on January 14, 2008 in Winston-Salem. He had lived in Clemmons
Clemmons, North Carolina
Clemmons is a village in Forsyth County, North Carolina and a suburb of Winston-Salem. The population was 18,627 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Clemmons is located at ....
at the time of the death.
See also
- MLB All-Time Hit Batsmen ListMLB All-Time Hit Batsmen ListThis is a list of top 100 Major League Baseball pitchers who have the most hit batsmen of all time. There is an of hitters who have been hit by pitch the most times.Active players are denoted in bold text.-The List:* Bold denotes active player...
- List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
- Jack QuinlanJack QuinlanJack Quinlan was an American sportscaster. He was best known for covering the Chicago Cubs first on WIND 1955-56, then on WGN radio from 1957 to 1964, his broadcast partner was Hall of Famer Lou Boudreau 1957 to April 1960, 1961 to 1964 and Cubs legend Charlie Grimm April 1960 to October...
and Jack BrickhouseJack BrickhouseJohn Beasley "Jack" Brickhouse was an American sportscaster. Known primarily for his play-by-play coverage of Chicago Cubs games on WGN-TV from 1948 to 1981, he received the Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983...
for transcripts of final out of no-hitter