#Shortstops: Wise placement
On Sept. 18, 1971, Wise – pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies – retired 32 straight Chicago Cubs during a 12-inning game. It remains the second-most consecutive batters retired during one MLB contest, trailing only the 36 straight set down by Pittsburgh’s Harvey Haddix on May 26, 1959.
But while Haddix took his perfect game into the 13th inning, he lost it – and the game – thanks to an error, an intentional walk and a double by Milwaukee’s Joe Adcock (Adcock homered but passed Hank Aaron on the bases) that gave the Braves a 1-0 win.
Wise, however, won his game 4-3 when he took matters into his own hands and singled home teammate Willie Montañez in the bottom of the 12th.
“I’d have to rank that as one of my all-time wins,” Wise told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Even at that point in his career – and with a victory in one of the most famous games in baseball history still on the horizon – that was no small statement from Wise. Earlier during the 1971 season, Wise no-hit the Reds in a game where he hit two home runs. No pitcher has ever matched the feat of tossing a no-hitter while hitting two balls out of the park.
“Everyone remembers Fisk waving the ball fair,” Wise told Gannett News Service, “but I was doing it too.”
Over 18 big league seasons, Wise won 188 games and posted a 3.69 ERA. The cap, glove and bat he used from his no-hitter are preserved in Cooperstown – as is his legacy from pitching in some of the most unique games of his era.
Craig Muder is the director of communications for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
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