Sportsman's Park III
aka Busch Stadium 1909 - 1966
St. Louis, MO
Historic Aerials
What Was There
| Team | Years | Games |
|---|---|---|
| (1920 - 1966)
|
3571
|
|
| (1909 - 1953)
|
3451
|
No-Hitters
4/14/1917: Eddie Cicotte, W (1-0)
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HBP | BR | BF | AB | IBB | GDP | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
5
|
1
|
5
|
31
|
27
|
1
|
1
|
Starter Age: 32.299
Rank among 323: 283
Opposing Starter: Earl Hamilton
Catcher: Ray Schalk
Plate Umpire: Silk O'Loughlin
Attendance: 10,000
Time of Game: 2:02
Did You Know?
- This was the second of three no-hitters caught by Ray Schalk (Joe Benz vs. Naps on May 31, 1914 at Comiskey Park I in Chicago; Charlie Robertson vs. Tigers on April 30, 1922 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit).
- Cicotte's no-hitter was the sixth in which Silk O'Loughlin was the home plate umpire and he still holds the record for most no-hitters umpired through 2019.
5/5/1917: Ernie Koob, W (3-1)
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HBP | BR | BF | AB | IBB | GDP | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
2
|
0
|
7
|
32
|
27
|
2
|
2
|
Starter Age: 24.236
Rank among 323: 81
Opposing Starter: Eddie Cicotte
Catcher: Hank Severeid
Plate Umpire: Dick Nallin
Attendance: 4,000
Time of Game: 1:34
Did You Know?
- Koob's no-hitter was so questionable that some contemporary newspapers reported it as a one-hitter due to official scorer John B. Sheridan's original decision to call Buck Weaver's grounder in the first a hit. With one out, Weaver hit a bouncer to the right side and second baseman Ernie Johnson charged it, took the ball off his chest, picked it up, lost his grip, and tossed the ball over his shoulder as he went to throw. Sheridan scored it a hit and everyone thought Koob had thrown a one-hitter as they dressed in the clubhouse after the game, but Sheridan conferred with the umpires, players, and coaches, and changed Weaver's hit to an error.
- The controversial call had the Baseball Writers Association of America petition American League president Ban Johnson and National League president John Tener to instruct official scorers that their decisions could no longer be reversed except for a misinterpretation of the rules.
- Some even wanted the hit reinstated in the official records, but it remained an error and Koob got his no-hitter.
- This was the first of two no-hitters caught by Hank Severeid (Bob Groom vs. White Sox on May 6, 1917 at Sportsman's Park III in St. Louis).
5/6/1917: Bob Groom, W (2-2)
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HBP | BR | BF | AB | IBB | GDP | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
4
|
1
|
4
|
28
|
23
|
1
|
0
|
Starter Age: 32.236
Rank among 323: 279
Opposing Starter: Joe Benz
Catcher: Hank Severeid
Plate Umpire: Dick Nallin
Attendance: 20,000
Time of Game: 1:21
Did You Know?
- This was the first time in the modern era that no-hitters were thrown on consecutive days and the only time the same team was the victim of a no-hitter on consecutive days, although it wasn't in consecutive games.
- The White Sox got eight hits in the first game of a doubleheader before being no-hit again, this time by Bob Groom.
- Groom threw two hitless innings against the White Sox in the aforementioned game in relief of Allan Sothoron and Eddie Plank, then held them hitless for another nine to match Ernie Koob's feat.
- Groom walked three batters and hit another, but only one man got as far as third. He walked Nemo Leibold to start the game, but Leibold was erased on a 2-6-3 double play; he walked Shoeless Joe Jackson in the second, but Jackson was caught stealing; Groom hit Buck Weaver with a pitch in the fourth, but Weaver was picked off first; he walked Swede Risberg to lead off the sixth and Risberg advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and grounder to first, but was stranded when Leibold popped out to catcher Hank Severeid.
- This was the second of two no-hitters caught by Hank Severeid (Ernie Koob vs. White Sox on May 5, 1917 at Sportsman's Park III in St. Louis).
7/17/1924: Jesse Haines, W (5-12)
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HBP | BR | BF | AB | IBB | GDP | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
5
|
0
|
3
|
30
|
27
|
0
|
Starter Age: 30.361
Rank among 323: 254
Opposing Starter: Tim McNamara
Catcher: Mike Gonzalez
Plate Umpire: Hank O'Day
Attendance: 15,000
Time of Game: 1:43
Did You Know?
- Only two men reached base against Haines and only one made it as far as second base--opposing pitcher Tim McNamara, who walked in the third and again in the sixth, and Bill Cunningham, who followed McNamara's walk in the sixth with a walk that sent McNamara to second.
- Haines needed only six pitches to get through the ninth inning--Gus Felix flied to right on the first pitch, Cunningham popped to shortstop on a 1-2 count, and Casey Stengel swung at Haines' first offering and grounded to Rogers Hornsby at second for the final out.
- It was Tuberculosis Day at Sportsman's Park, sponsored by the Tuberculosis Society, and 25,000 prizes were given away.
- The Cardinals had gone 42 seasons without a no-hitter before Haines threw the franchise's first one midway through their 43rd.
- Though the Cardinals played 120 more games at Sportsman's Park than the American League's Browns, Haines' no-hitter is the only one thrown by a Cards pitcher at this venue in 47 seasons.
- Haines threw his no-hitter during a season in which he went 8-19 and allowed 11.1 hits per nine innings, the third worst of his career. In fact, in his next four starts following his no-hitter Haines allowed 15, 12, 12, and 10 hits, respectively, and his next lowest total for a nine-inning game in 1924 was seven.
- Among all no-hit pitchers, Haines' 11.1 H/9 in 1924 is the highest single-season mark and the only one above 11.
5/6/1953: Bobo Holloman, W (1-1)
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HBP | BR | BF | AB | IBB | GDP | ROE | GB | FB | LD | PU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
3
|
0
|
6
|
31
|
26
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
12
|
11
|
2
|
1
|
Starter Age: 30.060
Rank among 323: 241
Opposing Starter: Morrie Martin
Catcher: Les Moss
Plate Umpire: Jim Duffy
Attendance: 2,473
Time of Game: 2:09
Did You Know?
- Bobo Holloman's no-hitter came in his first career start and fifth appearance and he's one of only four pitchers to throw a no-hitter in his first MLB start (Ted Breitenstein vs. Louisville Colonels on October 4, 1891 at Sportsman's Park I in St. Louis; Bumpus Jones vs. Pirates on October 15, 1892 at League Park I in Cincinnati; Tyler Gilbert vs. Padres on August 14, 2021 at Chase Field in Phoenix).
- Holloman did a little of everything in his no-hitter, driving in three of the team's six runs on two hits, recording a putout and assist, laying down a sacrifice bunt and committing an error.
- Holloman walked three batters in the ninth inning, but a double play grounder and fly out preserved his no-hitter and shutout.
- According to manager Marty Marion, Holloman had been badgering him to let him start after making four relief appearances and though the 27-year-old rookie pitched to an 8.44 ERA in 5 1/3 innings, Marion acquiesced and Holloman tossed a no-hitter.
- This was the first no-hitter thrown by a Browns pitcher since Bob Groom held the White Sox hitless on May 6, 1917 at Sportsman's Park III in St. Louis (Bobo Newsom threw nine hitless innings against the Red Sox on September 18, 1934, but lost his no-hitter and the game in the 10th inning.)
- Holloman's start came in such lousy weather that the 2,473 fans in attendance were rewarded for their loyalty when Browns president Bill Veeck announced that all in attendance could use their rain checks to see a future Browns game for free.
- In his next five starts, Holloman went 1-3 with an 8.04 ERA and threw only 15 2/3 innings, getting out of the fifth only once.
- He appeared in 22 games and made 10 starts, all in 1953, and finished his brief career with a 3-7 record and 5.23 ERA.
- Holloman's 1.8215 WHIP in 1953 is the worst among no-hit pitchers, narrowly edging Blue Moon Odom's 1.8214 in 1976.
- Holloman is the only no-hit pitcher whose career lasted only one season.
- Veeck about Holloman's no-hitter: "[E]verything he threw up was belted. And everywhere the ball went, there was a Brownie there to catch it. It was such a hot and humid and heavy night that long fly balls which seemed to be heading out of the park would die and be caught against the fence. Just when Bobo looked as if he was tiring, a shower would sweep across the field, delaying the game long enough for him to get a rest. [Right fielder] Allie Clark hit one into the left-field stands that curved foul at the last second. A bunt just rolled foul on the last spin. Our fielding was superb. The game went into the final innings and nobody had got a base hit off Big Bobo. On the final out of the eighth inning, [shortstop] Billy Hunter made an impossible diving stop on a ground ball behind second base [hit by catcher Joe Astroth] and an even more impossible throw. With two out in the ninth, a ground ball was rifled down the first base line ? right at our first baseman, Vic Wertz. [Actually, that was the first out of the top of the 2nd?Veeck?s memory has swapped 1B Eddie Robinson?s first and last PA, a flyball to CF, to make it a better story!] Big Bobo had pitched the quaintest no-hitter in the history of the game."
