I've been to so many games at this stadium, I cannot count them. I think I went to 20 games the summer of 1979, the year the Angels won their first Western Division title and then were wiped out by the Baltimore Orioles in the playoffs. I saw Nolan Ryan flirt with a no-hitter that summer, coming within two outs of one, losing it in the top of the ninth inning.
I've never seen a no-hitter, either live at the stadium or in person. I have seen batters hit for the cycle, including one that summer by Dan Ford. When I started writing this, I was under the impression that hitting for the cycle (single, double, triple and home run all in the same game) was rarer than a no-hitter, but after a quick Internet search, I've found that both are equally rare, but the no-hitter is still a little bit more rare 288 times vs. 306 times.
August 10, 1979, Dan Ford hit for the cycle. We were sitting in the upper deck. I'm pretty sure I kept score, as I kept score for most games back then, being a 21 year old geek at the time. Where that scorecard is, I don't have any idea, but I really wish I'd kept it. I remember telling my buddies at the time that if he tripled in his last at bat, he'd hit for the cycle. And then he did.
The cool thing about it is he hit for his cycle with probably the toughest hit to get as well. Singles and doubles are fairly easy. Home runs come from time to time, but it is a rare individual who can leg out a triple. You need to hit it to a gap and you need good speed. It's also one of the reasons, I'd much rather see a triple over a home run. Home runs are fun, but they are rather anti-climactic and over all, they tend to end rallies. Triples keep rallies going and they are usually bang/bang at third base. And there you go. Give me a triple any day over a home run.
Good post. Kind of cool to see a cycle. I've seen many triples in games I've been to. Always fun to see.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen a no-hitter, either. But... this story still kills me. When working at the paper and covering Single A ball, I got sent to a motocross one Sunday and one of the others covered the baseball game.
You can see where this going.
A perfect game. Only second one in league history. I'm still bitter. If I never see a no-hitter at a live game, that one will haunt me for many years.
That would hurt. Growing up with Nolan Ryan pitching for your team, there were plenty of chances. Never saw one, but man, I think I saw him throw three one or two hitters. He was phenomenal when he was in the groove.
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