Barbara Demko was in Buzzy’s Country Store yesterday telling me about her trip to an Orioles’s game this past Sunday with her friends Michele, Joan and Roberta. Barbara noted that the last Orioles’ game she went to was at Memorial Stadium. I asked her if that was the no hitter against the Orioles and she confirmed that it was.
I remembered this because of a conversation I had had with her husband Bobby D about the game. He was in the Store talking about the game and how once the 8th inning rolled around and the Orioles were losing by 7 runs, everyone in the Stadium rooted for the White Sox pitcher Wilson Alvarez to complete the no hitter against the Orioles.
As Barbara and I talked about all this yesterday, I asked if she remembered what year that was. I could recall that the White Sox pitcher was named Wilson Alvarez. However, as for when he threw the no hitter, I had to consult one of the many women in my orbit who know everything: “Siri, what year did Wilson Alvarez pitch a no hitter against the Orioles?”
Imagine my surprise when Siri came back with “Wilson Alvarez pitched a no hitter against the Orioles on August 11, 1991.” I then asked Barb to pose for this photo with the Buzzy calendar to commemorate the 30 year old occasion.
Once home I did a little more checking on the no hitter and learned that this was only Alvarez’s second MLB start after he had spent 2 years in the minors. His first Major League start as a Texas Ranger in 1989 was a disaster where he gave up two homers, a single and walked two before he was yanked from the game. Afterwards, he was traded to the White Six who sent him to the minors for two seasons before he returned to start and pitch his no hitter against the Orioles that August 11th day. He was only 19 years old and remains the 3rd youngest player to have ever pitched a no hitter (click here.)
I further learned that his was only the 4th of 7 no hitters that have ever been thrown against the Orioles (click here.) Alvarez’s was also the last no hitter to be thrown in Memorial Stadium before the O’s relocated to Camden Yards. Here are the 7 no hitters against the Orioles.
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| Note – Numbers 1-8 Were Against the O’s When the Were the St. Louis Browns |
And speaking of no-no’s, The Human Beinz hold the record for Top Ten song with the most repetitive word or phrase (31 no’s – twice!) They beat out Bill Withers and his 21 “I know’s” in Ain’t No Sunshine.
P.S. Something about The Human Beinz sounded familiar to me and that’s because I did this (click here) not long ago. It’s worth a second look.