Wednesday, May 27, 2009

50 years ago yesterday: Pirates' Haddix hurls 12 inning perfect game--takes the loss

There were giants in the earth in those days.
Genesis 6:5.

I read about Harvey Haddix' amazing--but bittersweet--12 inning perfect game when I was a kid.

On May 26, 1959, Haddix threw 12 innings of perfect baseball--no hits, no walks, no errors--for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

But there were problems that night for Haddix. His own team wasn't able to score any runs. The Milwaukee Braves obviously weren't either--although Lew Burdette, two years removed from winning three complete Worls Series games, pitched 12 shutout innings for the Braves.

Things fell apart for Haddix and the Pirates in the 13th, an error ended the perfect game. Hank Aaron, the next better, was intentionally walked, and Joe Adcock knocked in the winning run.

Braves 1--Pirates 0.

According to MLB.com, Haddix roamed the streets of Pittsburgh until dawn after the defeat.

Until 1991, Haddix' gem counted as an official perfect game.

Haddix, a giant of the game, died in 1994.

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