Tag: Milwaukee Braves

The Cincinnati Redlegs

July 7, 2015

Ted Kluszewski

Here’s a photo from LIFE magazine taken in September 1956 during a doubleheader between the Cincinnati Redlegs and the Milwaukee Braves.  On the left is Ted Kluszewski of the Redlegs, and he is speaking with Braves manager Fred Haney.  I, for one, sure am glad that the sleeveless look never took off in baseball.

Something interesting I learned as a result of finding this photo: the Cincinnati team was known as the Redlegs from 1953 through 1958, due to the Red Scare in America.  Even though “Reds” had been inspired by the old Cincinnati Red Stockings, people have a way of letting fear dictate their reactions to things sometimes.  The term “Reds” became associated with Communism, and from 1956 to 1960, the name “Reds” was removed from the team’s logo and no longer appeared on the team’s uniforms.  The name “Cincinnati Reds” was restored to the team after the 1958 season.

This day in baseball: Oldies, but goodies

April 28, 2015

On April 28, 1961, Milwaukee Braves pitcher Warren Spahn threw his second no-hitter against the Giants at County Stadium.  This feat made him the second-oldest pitcher in history to throw a no-hitter, at the age of 40 years and 5 days.  At the time, the oldest pitcher to throw a no-hitter had been Cy Young, at 41 years old.  That spot is now held by Nolan Ryan, who threw a no-hitter at the age of 44 on May 1, 1991.

Warren Spahn (Wikimedia Commons)
Warren Spahn (Wikimedia Commons)

“Harvey Haddix,” by The Baseball Project

November 14, 2014

On May 26, 1959, Pirates pitcher Harvey Haddix was taking a perfect game into the 13th inning against the Milwaukee Braves.  Unfortunately for Haddix, however, Braves pitcher Lew Burdette was also pitching a shutout that day.  Haddix’s perfect game ended in the bottom of the 13th when Milwaukee’s lead-off batter, Félix Mantilla, reached on a fielding error.  Eddie Mathews’s sacrifice bunt advanced Mantilla to second, and Hank Aaron was given first on an intentional walk.  Joe Adcock then ended the no-hitter with what first appeared to be a home run, but was later ruled to be a double by National League president Warren Giles.

In spite of the heart-breaking conclusion, Haddix’s 13-inning show continues to be recognized as one of the greatest pitching performances of all time.  He even managed to get a song written about him.  The Baseball Project laments Haddix’s poor luck through this tune, in which they also manage to list off every other pitcher who has gone down in history with a perfect game (up to March 2011, at least).

This day in baseball: Aaron replaces Thomson

March 13, 2013

On 13 March 1954, Braves outfielder Bobby Thomson broke his ankle sliding into third base during an exhibition game against the Pirates.  Unfortunately for Thomson, this meant that he was out of the lineup until July 14.  Fortunately for baseball history, this event opened up a starting spot for a young man named Hank Aaron.  Nobody’s ever heard of him, have they?

“As far as I’m concerned, (Hank) Aaron is the best ball player of my era. He is to baseball of the last 15 years what Joe DiMaggio was before him. He’s never received the credit he’s due.” – Mickey Mantle in Baseball Digest (June 1970)