No Hits, No Luck

The popular notion of a no-hitter is a thing of beauty: a stouthearted pitcher smoking the ball down the alley with laser-beam control. The Baltimore Orioles' Steve Barber, 28, a fastballing lefthander who in six years with the Orioles has compiled an eminently respectable 91-66 won-lost record, almost lived up to that notion three weeks ago. While beating the California Angels 3-0, he rarely allowed a ball out of the infield, walked only three men, and came within two outs of pitching the season's first no-hitter.

Last week, facing the Detroit Tigers, Steve went at it another way--like a wild man on the mound scaring batters half to death. In the first inning he walked one man; in the second he walked another; in the third he hit a batter. By the fifth inning, Baltimore Manager Hank Bauer was ready to yank him for a reliever. But the Tigers were so busy ducking that no one had even got a hit. On into the ninth it went, with the Orioles leading 1-0 and nothing but goose eggs for the Tigers. By now Steve had seven walks and two hit batsmen. Three more walks loaded the bases with two outs. And then, zing! A wild pitch brought Steve off the mound in an agonized scramble as the tying run scored.

With a sigh, Manager Bauer took Barber out and waved in Reliever Stu Miller. The next Detroit batter rapped Miller's first pitch up the middle for an easy third out--except that Second Baseman Mark Belanger dropped the force throw as another Detroit run crossed the plate. Final score: Tigers 2, Orioles 1; thus putting Barber and Miller into the records as the first two pitchers in baseball history to combine on a no-hitter in nine innings and still lose the game. Said Barber wistfully: "Well, if I ever do get another one, I'd like it to be a bit more artistic."

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