1958- He came so close to perfection. White Sox lefthander Billy Pierce fired four one-hitters in his brilliant career, but he never came closer to baseball immortality than he did on this night.
With two out in the ninth inning, Pierce lost a perfect game as Washington’s Ed Fitz Gerald, a pinch-hitter, doubled down the first-base line on the first pitch he saw. The hit was fair by a foot, off of a low-outside breaking ball. The crowd at Comiskey Park stared in disbelief.
The Sox won, 3-0, but Piercenever came closer to pitching the ultimate masterpiece. On the night, the Senators only hit six balls out of the infield. Piercestruck out nine and only went to a three-ball count on two hitters. The game took 1:46 to play.
Another historical oddity: Fitz Gerald’s grandfather was an important businessman in Milwaukee, active in the shipping industry. Years later, a ship would be named after him. The name of the ship? The Edmund Fitz Gerald. (Cue the song from Gordon Lightfoot!)
With two out in the ninth inning, Pierce lost a perfect game as Washington’s Ed Fitz Gerald, a pinch-hitter, doubled down the first-base line on the first pitch he saw. The hit was fair by a foot, off of a low-outside breaking ball. The crowd at Comiskey Park stared in disbelief.
The Sox won, 3-0, but Piercenever came closer to pitching the ultimate masterpiece. On the night, the Senators only hit six balls out of the infield. Piercestruck out nine and only went to a three-ball count on two hitters. The game took 1:46 to play.
Another historical oddity: Fitz Gerald’s grandfather was an important businessman in Milwaukee, active in the shipping industry. Years later, a ship would be named after him. The name of the ship? The Edmund Fitz Gerald. (Cue the song from Gordon Lightfoot!)
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