On 26 July 1879, Syracuse Stars starting pitcher Harry McCormick pitched a 1-0 shutout against the Boston Red Stockings. The source of the Stars’ lone run? In the bottom of the first inning, McCormick hit a home run off Boston starter Tommy Bond. It is the first known occurrence in Major League baseball history in which the pitcher’s own homer was the only run of the game.
This is incredible to me especially when considering the greatest single game performance. Does it get any more dominating than doing it both at the plate and on the mound? The Mccormick wonder was topped almost 100 years later when Rick Wise threw a no hitter and hit 2 home runs in the same game. (1973) I’d say that was a wise move on his part because his teammates weren’t scoring no runs….bad puns.