Harvey Haddix

Harvey Haddix Jr. (September 18, 1925 – January 8, 1994) was an American professional baseball pitcher and pitching coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1952–1956), Philadelphia Phillies (1956–57), Cincinnati Redlegs, Pittsburgh Pirates (1959–1963), and Baltimore Orioles (1964–65). The three-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion is most notable for pitching 12 perfect innings against the Milwaukee Braves on May 26, 1959, arguably the greatest game ever pitched in major league history. The Pirates left-hander retired a record 36 batters in a row before an error allowed a base-runner in the 13th inning, and lost the game on an unearned run.

In 1991, Major League Baseball changed the definition of a no-hitter to "a game in which a pitcher or pitchers complete a game of nine innings or more without allowing a hit." The revised requirement retroactively disqualified Haddix's gem even though he had recorded more consecutive perfect innings in one game than anyone in major league history. The pitcher was matter of fact in his response. "It's O.K.," he shrugged. "I know what I did." In 1979, as Pirates pitching coach, he was part of a second World Series championship team.

Haddix was commonly referred to as "The Kitten", a nickname that was afforded him while with Triple A Columbus early in his minor league career. General manager George Sisler Jr. likened the young pitcher to St. Louis Cardinals veteran pitcher Harry Brecheen, another undersized left-hander who was known as "Harry The Cat" in baseball circles. Sisler wondered what it would be like to have The Cat and The Kitten paired in a doubleheader.

Early life Born on September 18, 1925 in Medway, Ohio, located just outside Springfield, Haddix was the third son of Nellie Mae Greider-Haddix and Harvey Haddix Sr.. His parents were farmers near Westville in west central Ohio, 20 miles from Medway.

Near-perfect game

Haddix took a perfect game into the 13th inning against the Milwaukee Braves on May 26, 1959. The then 33-year-old retired 36 consecutive batters in 12 innings, essentially relying on two pitches: fastball and slider. However, Braves pitcher Lew Burdette was also pitching a shutout,

What made Haddix's performance even more impressive was that it came against a star-studded Braves team on its home field. He faced a line-up that featured future Hall of Famers Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews as well as All-Stars Del Crandall and Johnny Logan and sluggers Joe Adcock and Wes Covington. The Braves won the NL pennant in 1957 and 1958 and would lose in a three-game playoff later this season. Mazeroski said of Haddix's dominance, "Usually you have one or two great or spectacular defensive plays in these no-hitters. Not that night. It was the easiest game I ever played in." I could have put a cup on either corner of the plate and hit it.

In May, 1989, Bob Buhl disclosed that Braves pitchers had been stealing signs from Pirates catcher Smokey Burgess, whose high crouch made his hand signals easier to detect from a distance. From their bullpen in right field, Braves pitchers repositioned a towel to signal for a fastball or a breaking ball, the pitches that Haddix relied on heavily in the game. Despite this assistance, the Milwaukee offense didn't mount a threat until the final inning. Aaron was the only Braves hitter who ignored the signals.

As a hitter, Haddix was better than average, posting a .212 batting average (169-for-798) with 95 runs, 37 doubles, 9 triples, 4 home runs, 64 RBI, 4 stolen bases and 46 bases on balls. Defensively, he recorded a .957 fielding percentage, which was the league average at his position.

Haddix later followed his former teammate Harry Brecheen into the ranks of major league pitching coaches, working with the New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, and Pirates for 14 years spanning 1966 to 1984.

Death A heavy smoker in his playing days, Haddix died from emphysema in 1994 in Springfield, Ohio, at age 68.

Career highlights 3-time All-Star (1953–1955) Co-Player of the Month for May 1959 Major League record, Most consecutive batters retired in one game (36) achieved on May 26, 1959

Legacy Haddix Field, the Little League baseball park in New Carlisle, Ohio, is named for Haddix.

Haddix's near-perfect game is memorialized by The Baseball Project, whose song, "Harvey Haddix", appears on their debut album, Volume 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails (2008).