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Satchel Paige once held the all time MLB fielding record for the most games played in an entire career without making a single error. He recorded a 1.000 fielding average over a 179 game career. (I don't know if this record has since been broken, for the Sporting News Record Book no longer references that career stat.)
He had a 1.49 range factor, compared to the MLB average for a pitcher of 2.04, which is about comparable to Bob Feller (1.54).
Paige did not have a fielding chance in his final game, which came at the age of 59, a 3-inning start in 1965. It was his first appearance in a game in 12 years. He faced only 10 batters in his 3 innings, touched up only by Carl Yastrzemski's first inning double. If he'd still had a no-hitter going, I wonder if they'd have left him in.
The smallest crowd to witness a perfect game in the modern era was 6298 on May 5, 1968 at Oakland when Catfish Hunter and the A's beat the Twins 4-0.
I'm assuming that the largest was Don Larsen's, at 64,519
It is no longer possible to determine how many people "witness" any baseball game. Only the number of tickets sold is announced, which in many cases is several times the actual attendance. In a few cases, hundreds of times as many, because the minimum possible "announced attendance" is the number of season tickets sold.
Candy Cummings weighed only 120 pounds when he pitched in the major leagues. His height (5'9") was about average for a player in his day, but he was probably the lightest player to ever play in the majors.
....Unless you consider the Bill Veeck stunt with Eddie Gaedel.
In the summer of 1870, the Brooklyn Atlantics got into the record books by beating the Cincinnati Redlegs (baseball's only openly professional team at the time), snapping an incredible 92-game winning streak.
That game was tied at 5-5 after the regulation nine innings. Brooklyn, not having lost to Cincinnati, was happy to declare the game a tie. But the Reds' manager insisted that the game should be played until one team won. When they scored twice in the top of the 11th, they probably felt very justified in their insistence. What they didn't count on was Brooklyn coming up with three in the bottom of the inning for the 8-7 win. Cincinnati's myth of invincibility vanished with that loss; crowds decreased at their appearances for the rest of that year, and the team was broken up over the next winter.
Conceivably, a defensive team could record a triple play without ever touching the ball - but it's never happened* at the MLB level.
Consider the situation: No outs with runners on first and second. The batter pops up, let's say somewhere between second and third base and is ruled out via the infield fly rule. (that's one) While the ball is in the air the runner on first passes the runner on second, perhaps due to some indecision or confusion by the lead runner - or both of them. Doesn't matter. The passing runner is out. (that's two) I can actually see that happening even though the umpires would have signaled the infield fly rule. It's not all that out of the ordinary for players to miss signs. The third out would be the one I couldn't see happening as easily, but if the ball came down and hit the original lead runner, provided he wasn't standing on a base, he would most assuredly be out and a no-hands triple play would ave been turned.
Conceivably, a defensive team could record a triple play without ever touching the ball - but it's never happened* at the MLB level.
Consider the situation: No outs with runners on first and second. The batter pops up, let's say somewhere between second and third base and is ruled out via the infield fly rule. (that's one) While the ball is in the air the runner on first passes the runner on second, perhaps due to some indecision or confusion by the lead runner - or both of them. Doesn't matter. The passing runner is out. (that's two) I can actually see that happening even though the umpires would have signaled the infield fly rule. It's not all that out of the ordinary for players to miss signs. The third out would be the one I couldn't see happening as easily, but if the ball came down and hit the original lead runner, provided he wasn't standing on a base, he would most assuredly be out and a no-hands triple play would ave been turned.
* As far as I know this hasn't happened.
If such a play had ever occurred the 1962 Mets would have been involved.
Dave Stieb was one strike away from a no hitter against the Indians on September 24, 1988 when Julio Fanco singled to spoil it. In his next start against the Orioles on September 30th Stieb again took a no hitter into the 9th and with two outs Jim Traber also singled.
Dave Stieb was one strike away from a no hitter against the Indians on September 24, 1988 when Julio Fanco singled to spoil it. In his next start against the Orioles on September 30th Stieb again took a no hitter into the 9th and with two outs Jim Traber also singled.
Was Stieb the first righty to throw two consecutive one-hitters? I think Whitey Ford was the first lefty.
Cubs righty Lon Warneke had back-to-back one hitters in the 1930s, but I don't know if they both went 8 2/3 innings before being broken up.
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