It was the greatest pitched ball game in the history of baseball, and it was a loss. Harvey Haddix pitches 12 perfect innings fifty years ago today. The original story is below. For you soccer fans out there a perfect game is when no batter reaches a base.
MILWAUKEE, May 26 -- Harvey Haddix made baseball history here tonight in County Stadium but lost a ball game, 2-0, in 13 innings to the Milwaukee Braves.
The little Buc southpaw, pitching magnificently, had a perfect game for 12 innings. No one in the major leagues had even ever gone over nine without an opponent reaching base.
The climax to the tense situation became a confusing one when Joe Adcock hit the ball over the fence and was credited with a double.
Previously four pitchers had worked perfectly through nine inning victories but none had gone longer.
The last was Don Larson of the Yankees with his 2-0 victory over the Dodgers in the 1956 World Series.
In the clubhouse the mighty little Buc southpaw said -- "all I wanted to all night long was to keep them from scoring."
And in the 13th inning the leadoff batter for the Braves reached base on a throwing error by Don Hoak. Hoak fielded a routine grounder by Felix Mantilla, fired low to first and Rocky Nelson failed on a pickup of the ball.
Eddie Mathews sacrificed and the Bucs passed Hank Aaron. Joe Adcock, who had stuck out twice and grounded out two other times, hit what Haddix described as "a high slider," and it fell over the fence in right centerfield.
Eight for Burdette
In the joy of winning the eighth victory for Lew Burdette, Adcock passed Aaron between second and third bases and was ruled out, eliminating his homer. The umpires ruled that Mantilla's and Aaron's runs counted. One enough though.
Haddix, in reeling off his pitching masterpiece, fanned eight Braves and it wasn't until the 12th inning that he got behind a batter on the count. The first two pitches to Andy Palko were balls, then he retired the Braves outfield.
The Pirates with their 12 hits off Burdette, had numerous chances to win the ball game, but failed, as they suffered their third shutout of the season. That snapped a five game winning streak.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09144/971866-63.stm
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