On August 27, 1938, Monte Pearson threw the first no-hitter in Yankee Stadium history, beating the Cleveland Indians 13-0 in the second game of a Saturday doubleheader. He walked two, struck out seven, and retired the final 18 batters. It was the third no-hitter in New York Yankees history and the first one at home.
The Stadium had been open since April 1923. Fifteen years, a handful of pennants, Ruth and Gehrig and all the rest -- and nobody had ever gone nine innings there without allowing a hit.
The man who finally did it was pitching his team's tenth game in five days.
Ten Games in Five Days
The summer of 1938 had been a wet one, and the rainouts came due in August. The Yankees played ten doubleheaders between August 12 and August 27, and the last five of them came on consecutive days. Cleveland had been in town for three of those twin bills, starting August 25.
By the Saturday nightcap, Joe McCarthy was running low on fresh arms. He handed the ball to Pearson, who was working on two days' rest.
There was a little history in the matchup, too. Cleveland had given up on Pearson after the 1935 season and shipped him to New York with Steve Sundra for Johnny Allen. Pearson had spent the years since winning games for a dynasty. Now he got to face the club that let him go.
Perfect, Then Not, Then Perfect Again
Pearson set down the first nine Indians in order. Then he walked the first two men of the fourth inning, and that was the last time Cleveland reached base all afternoon. He got out of the fourth and retired every hitter after that -- 18 straight to close the game.
His catcher wasn't Bill Dickey. Backup Joe Glenn wore the gear that day, and he chipped in a sacrifice fly in the third inning for good measure. (A Hall of Famer sat and watched the best game ever thrown in the building to that point. Doubleheaders do strange things to a lineup card.)
Pearson didn't need much help from the offense, but he got it anyway. Tommy Henrich and rookie Joe Gordon each hit two home runs and drove in 10 runs between them. Johnny Humphries started for Cleveland and didn't survive the barrage. Denny Galehouse came on in relief, and Gordon and Henrich each took him deep too.
By the late innings it was a rout, and the only drama left in the Bronx was the zero under Cleveland's hit column.
The Last Out
Two outs in the ninth. Bruce Campbell, Cleveland's right fielder, put a good swing on one and lined it to left.
George Selkirk caught it.
That was it. No strikeout, no diving stop -- just a line drive that found a glove. Pearson had 7 strikeouts, 2 walks, 29 batters faced, and a 13-0 win. The New York Times put the crowd at 40,959, and every one of them had just seen something the House That Ruth Built had never offered before.
What Came Next
The win was Pearson's 13th of the year. He finished the 1938 season at 16-7 with a 3.97 ERA, the No. 3 man behind Red Ruffing (21-7) and Lefty Gomez (18-12) on a staff that allowed the fewest runs in the American League.
In October he started Game 3 of the World Series against the Cubs and beat them 5-2 with a five-hit complete game and nine strikeouts. A year later he carried another no-hitter into the eighth inning of Game 2 of the 1939 World Series before Ernie Lombardi singled.
The Yankees didn't throw another no-hitter for almost 13 years, until Allie Reynolds no-hit, of all teams, Cleveland on July 12, 1951. You can read about that one and his encore in Reynolds' two no-hitters.
But the first one at the Stadium belongs to a tired right-hander on two days' rest, closing out the tenth game in five days, against the team that traded him away.
| Date | Saturday, August 27, 1938 |
| Site | Yankee Stadium (Game 2 of a doubleheader) |
| Final | Yankees 13, Indians 0 |
| Pearson's Line | 9 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K, 29 BF |
| Batters Retired to Finish | 18 straight |
| Catcher | Joe Glenn |
| Big Bats | Henrich and Gordon: 2 HR each, 10 RBI combined |
| Final Out | Bruce Campbell lined out to LF George Selkirk |
| Franchise No-Hitter | Third in Yankees history, first at Yankee Stadium |
| Pearson, 1938 Season | 16-7, 3.97 ERA |
Cleveland Trades Pearson
The Indians send Pearson and Steve Sundra to New York for Johnny Allen.
The Doubleheader Grind
Rainouts force the Yankees into ten doubleheaders in 16 days, the last five on consecutive days.
The First Stadium No-Hitter
Pearson no-hits Cleveland 13-0 in the nightcap, retiring the last 18 batters. Henrich and Gordon each homer twice.
World Series Win
Pearson throws a five-hit complete game to beat the Cubs 5-2 in Game 3 of the World Series sweep.
The Next One
Allie Reynolds no-hits Cleveland 1-0, the first Yankees no-hitter since Pearson's.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the first no-hitter at Yankee Stadium?
Monte Pearson's 13-0 no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians on August 27, 1938. The original Yankee Stadium opened in April 1923, and no pitcher had thrown a no-hitter there before Pearson.
How many walks and strikeouts did Monte Pearson have in his no-hitter?
Pearson walked two and struck out seven. Both walks came to start the fourth inning. He retired the final 18 batters of the game, facing 29 hitters in all.
Was Monte Pearson's no-hitter part of a doubleheader?
Yes. It was the second game of a Saturday doubleheader against Cleveland, and it capped a stretch in which the Yankees played ten games in five days. Pearson pitched on two days' rest.
How many no-hitters had the Yankees thrown before Monte Pearson?
Two. George Mogridge no-hit Boston at Fenway Park in 1917, and Sad Sam Jones no-hit the Athletics at Shibe Park in 1923. Pearson's was the third in franchise history and the first one thrown at home.