Harvey Haddix

Haddix was born in Medway, Ohio, located just outside Springfield. He was nicknamed "the Kitten" in St. Louis for his resemblance to Harry "The Cat" Brecheen, a left-hander on the Cardinals during Haddix's rookie campaign.{{cite web|url=https://www.si.com/vault/2009/06/01/105819842/the-greatest-game-ever-pitched|title=The Greatest Game Ever Pitched|date=June 1, 2009|pages=62–67|last=Chen|first=Albert|publisher=Sports Illustrated|work=SI.com|access-date=October 22, 2015}}

{{main|Harvey Haddix's near-perfect game}}

Haddix took a perfect game into the 13th inning against the Milwaukee Braves on May 26, 1959. He retired 36 consecutive batters in 12 innings, essentially relying on two pitches: fastball and slider.{{cite web|url= https://www.baseball-almanac.com/boxscore/05261959.shtml|title=Harvey Haddix Perfect Game Box Score|date=May 26, 1959|publisher=Baseball Almanac|work=baseball-almanac.com|access-date=January 10, 2020}} However, Braves pitcher Lew Burdette was also pitching a shutout, which was seriously jeopardized on only three occasions: the 3rd inning, when a Milwaukee base-running blunder negated three consecutive singles; the 9th, when Pittsburgh finally advanced a runner as far as third base; and the 10th, when Pirates pinch hitter Dick Stuart came within a few feet of a two-run homer.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pGAqAAAAIBAJ&pg=3292%2C3497235&dq=stuart-wall|title=The Scoreboard: Pirates Tried Hard to Win for Haddix; Loss Hard to Take; Haddix Had Terrific Control|date=May 27, 1959|last=Biederman|first=Lester J.|page=33|publisher=The Pittsburgh Press|access-date=August 3, 2017}}

A fielding error by third baseman Don Hoak ended the perfect game in the bottom of the 13th, with the leadoff batter for Milwaukee, Félix Mantilla, reaching first base. Mantilla then advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Eddie Mathews, which was followed by an intentional walk to Hank Aaron. Joe Adcock then hit an apparent home run, ending the no-hitter and the game. However, in the confusion, Aaron left the basepaths and was passed by Adcock for the second out and the Braves won 2–0. Eventually the hit was changed from a home run to a double by a ruling from National League (NL) president Warren Giles; ultimately, only Mantilla's run counted, resulting in a final score of 1–0, but the Pirates and Haddix still lost.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/sports/baseball/24haddix.html|title=Linked to Haddix's Perfection by Western Union Ticker Tape|date=May 23, 2009|last=Eskenazi|first=Gerald|work=The New York Times|access-date=July 29, 2009}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cfRUrOkMjbAC&q=Hard-Luck+Harvey+Haddix+and+the+Greatest+Game+Ever+Lost|title=Hard-Luck Harvey Haddix and the Greatest Game Ever Lost|author=Lew Freedman|author-link=Lew Freedman|publisher=McFarland|year=2009|isbn=9780786441242}}{{cquote|I could have put a cup on either corner of the plate and hit it.||4=Harvey Haddix}}

Haddix's {{frac|12|2|3}}-inning, one-hit complete game, against the team that had just represented the NL in the previous two World Series, is considered by many to be the best pitching performance in MLB history.{{cite web|url=https://www.post-gazette.com/pirates/2009/05/24/In-1959-Harvey-Haddix-pitched-perhaps-the-best-game-ever-and-lost/stories/200905240102|title=In 1959 Harvey Haddix pitched perhaps the best game ever — and lost|date=May 27, 2009|last=Dvorchak|first=Bob|publisher=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|work=post-gazette.com|access-date=January 12, 2020}} Mazeroski later said of Haddix's dominance in the game, "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."

After the game, Haddix received many letters of congratulations and support, as well as one from a Texas A&M fraternity which read, in its entirety on university stationery, "Dear Harvey, Tough shit." "It made me mad", recounted Haddix, "until I realized they were right. That's exactly what it was."[https://books.google.com/books?id=r9y1KMp63gcC&dq=%22harvey+haddix%22+fraternity&pg=PA82 Tales from the dugout: the greatest true baseball stories ever told, Mike Shannon, McGraw-Hill Professional, 1997] {{ISBN|0-8092-3107-7}} {{ISBN|978-0-8092-3107-2}}{{cite web|url=http://thisdaybaseball.blogspot.com/2005/01/january-8th-1994-harvey-haddix-dies.html|title=The Annotated This Day in Baseball History - January 8th, 1994: Harvey Haddix Dies|date=January 8, 2005|last=Barbieri|first=Richard|publisher=Blogger|work=thisdaybaseball.blogspot.com|access-date=January 11, 2020}}[https://books.google.com/books?id=FctDBEzJnW4C&dq=%22harvey+haddix%22+fraternity&pg=PP3 Tales From The Pirates Dugout, John McCollister, Sports Publishing LLC, 2003] {{ISBN|1-58261-630-2}} {{ISBN|978-1-58261-630-8}}

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." This retroactively disqualified Haddix, which some had considered to have thrown a perfect game because he retired the first 27 batters in order. Despite his having thrown more perfect innings than anyone in a single game, Haddix's game was taken off the lists of perfect games and no-hitters. Haddix's response was "It's O.K. I know what I did."

In May 1989, Milwaukee's Bob Buhl revealed that the Braves pitchers had been stealing signs from Pittsburgh catcher Smokey Burgess, who was exposing his hand signals due to a high crouch.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kPJRAAAAIBAJ&pg=2080%2C7945244|title=Flashback: Some perfect — and imperfect — memories of Haddix's game |date=May 24, 1989|page=21|last=Bouchette|first=Ed|publisher=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|access-date=January 13, 2020}}[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kPJRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Zm4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4267%2C7949770 Bouchette, op. cit.], p. 23. From their bullpen, Braves pitchers repeatedly repositioned a towel to signal for a fastball or a breaking ball, the only two pitches Haddix used in the game. Despite this assistance, the Milwaukee offense managed just one hit.{{cite web|url= https://baseballbiography.com/harvey-haddix-1925|title=Harvey Haddix|date=2015|work=baseballbiography.com|access-date=January 12, 2020}} All but one Milwaukee hitter, Aaron, took the signals.

Over his 14-year career, Haddix had a 136–113 record with 1,575 strikeouts, a 3.63 ERA, 99 complete games, 21 shutouts, 21 saves, and 2,235 innings pitched in 453 games (285 as a starter). He was in the spotlight in the 1960 World Series against the Yankees. After winning Game 5 as a starter, Haddix relieved late in Game 7 and was credited with the win when Bill Mazeroski hit his famous Series-ending walk-off home run. Haddix went 2–0 in the 1960 Series, with a 2.45 ERA.

In 1964, Haddix served solely as a relief pitcher for the Orioles, pitching {{frac|89|2|3}} innings, with five wins, ten saves, and a 2.31 ERA. He was the runner-up for the Gold Glove Award.{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Mark |title=Harvey Haddix – Society for American Baseball Research |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/harvey-haddix/ |access-date=2024-10-18 |website=sabr.org |language=en-US}}

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.

Jim Palmer said he learned a lot about pitching from Haddix during the veteran's time with the Orioles.{{cite book|last1=Palmer|first1=Jim|last2=Dale|first2=Jim|title=Palmer and Weaver: Together We Were Eleven Foot Nine|year=1996|publisher=Andrews and McMeel|location=Kansas City|isbn=0-8362-0781-5|page=87}}

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.{{cite web|url=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/H/Phaddh101.htm|title=Harvey Haddix|date=2020|publisher=Retrosheet|work=retrosheet.org|access-date=January 12, 2020}}

A heavy smoker in his playing days, Haddix died from emphysema in 1994 in Springfield, Ohio, at the age of 68.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/10/obituaries/harvey-haddix-68-known-for-pitching-12-perfect-innings.html|title=Harvey Haddix, 68; Known for Pitching 12 Perfect Innings|date=January 10, 1994|agency=Associated Press|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 11, 2020}}

• 3-time All-Star (1953–1955)
• 3-time Gold Glove Award (1958–1960){{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/gold_glove_nl.shtml|title=MLB National League Gold Glove Award Winners|date=2020|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com|work=Sports Reference LLC|access-date=January 11, 2020}}
• Co-Player of the Month for May 1959
• Major League record, Most consecutive batters retired in one game (36) achieved on May 26, 1959{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/baseballstop100g0000bank/page/29|title=Baseball's Top 100: The Game's Greatest Records|date=2010|page=[https://archive.org/details/baseballstop100g0000bank/page/29 29]|last=Banks|first=Kerry|publisher=Greystone Books|location=Vancouver|isbn=978-1-55365-507-7|access-date=January 12, 2020}}

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).

{{Reflist}}

• {{Baseballstats |mlb=115289 |espn=22417 |br=h/haddiha01 |fangraphs=1005184 |brm=haddix001har |retro=H/Phaddh101 }}
• {{SABR Baseball Biography Project|08d07f45}}
• [https://www.espn.com/page2/s/list/readers/mlbmoremoments.html Greatest Baseball Moments, at ESPN]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060525040358/http://archive.sportingnews.com/baseball/25moments/19.html Baseball's 25 Greatest Moments: Haddix's Perfect Loss]
• {{Find a Grave|5861312}}

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{{succession box | before = Willie Mays | title = Major League Player of the Month| years = May, 1959 (with Hank Aaron)| after = Roy Face}}

{{s-sports}}

{{succession box | title=New York Mets pitching coach | before=Wes Westrum | years=1966–1967 | after= Rube Walker}}

{{succession box | title=Cincinnati Reds pitching coach | before=Mel Harder | years=1969 | after= Larry Shepard}}

{{succession box | title=Boston Red Sox pitching coach | before=Charlie Wagner | years=1971 | after= Lee Stange}}

{{succession box | title=Cleveland Indians pitching coach | before=Clay Bryant | years=1975–1978 | after= Chuck Hartenstein}}

{{succession box | title=Pittsburgh Pirates pitching coach | before=Larry Sherry | years=1979–1984| after= Grant Jackson}}

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{{1960 Pittsburgh Pirates}}

{{1979 Pittsburgh Pirates}}

{{St. Louis Cardinals Opening Day starting pitchers}}

{{NL P Gold Glove Award}}

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Category:1925 births

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Category:Deaths from emphysema

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Category:Major League Baseball pitchers

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Category:20th-century American sportsmen