24 years ago today, Jim Abbott entered the history books by throwing a no hitter against the Cleveland Indians. However, he gets his own page in the books. Why? Because he threw the no-no despite being born without his right hand.
Abbott was drafted by the California Angels with the eight overall pick in 1988 and was in the rotation the next year. He went 12-12 with a 3.92 ERA his rookie year, finishing fifth in the American League Rookie of the Year voting. He struggled his sophomore year, going 10-14 with a 4.51 ERA. However, over the next two seasons he was arguably one of the best pitchers in baseball. Through the 91-92 seasons in the AL, only Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina, and Juan Guzman had better ERAs than Abbott’s 2.83. This caught the eye of then Yankees’ General Manager Gene Michael. He knew how southpaw friendly Yankee Stadium was, so he went out and got Abbott. The Yankees traded three prospects, including first baseman J.T. Snow, on December 6, 1992.
The trade seemed to be a bust coming into September 4, with Abbot’s ERA sitting at 4.31. The Indians were in town to face him for the second time in five days. He lasted just 3 2/3 innings, giving up seven runs on 10 hits and four walks in the first game. The Tribe were six games under .500 and wasn’t the playoff powerhouse it would soon become, but the lineup was no joke. Albert Belle was a rising star, having hit 34 homers the year prior with 112 RBIs. Speed demon Kenny Lofton was coming off a 66 stolen bag year and a .285 average. Carlos Baerga had 205 hits to go along with a .312 average. Also in the lineup were two young stars by the name of Jim Thome and rookie Manny Ramirez. Ramirez had gone 3-4 with his first two Major League homers in just his second career game the day before. It would be a difficult task for any pitcher, let alone a one handed one.
But baseball is a funny game folks, and things can change with the swing of a bat. The Yanks were in the middle of a playoff run for the first time in five years. They trailed the defending World Series champion Blue Jays by just two games. New faces in the outfield by the names of Paul O’Neil and Bernie Williams had revamped the team. This game was not going to be the same one that happened five days earlier.
The team wasn’t thinking no hitter, especially Abbott, he just wanted to get through the first inning. His first pitch was a little wild, an omen of things to come? He wound up walking leadoff man Lofton and people were thinking, not again! Eight innings and zero hits later, Abbott stood on the mound for the final three outs. At the plate, again, was Lofton. The speedy Cleveland center fielder broke the unwritten rule and tried to bunt. He fouled it back and the crowd of 27,000 was enraged. He would ground out the second base bringing up Felix Fermin. He worked a 2-2 count before hitting a long fly ball to center where Williams was playing him shallow. Everyone held their breath as Williams chased it all the way to the warning track for the second out. A collective sigh of relief. Baerga was the last obstacle. He swung at the first pitch sending it straight to Randy Velarde at short. Valarde to Mattingly. Out number three. The Yankees first no-no since Dave Righetti’s in 1983. The stands and dugout alike erupted knowing they had just witnessed something special.
“How does it all happen? A guy, growing up in Flint, Michigan to this? For a tiny second, you’re outside yourself.” – Jim Abbott
24 years later and it is still one of the most triumphant, magical moments in the long storied history of the franchise. Abbott beat the odds and gave a generation of Yankee fans a moment of time that they can look back on and still remember where they were when it happened.
“I had these huge goose bumps on my forearms, and the hair on the back of my neck was standing up. Maybe that would have happened with someone else. Maybe I’d have the same feelings. But I think because it was Jim there was a little something extra.” – Don Mattingly
