Harvey Haddix's near-perfect game

Harvey Haddix's near-perfect game

Harvey Haddix in 1953, six years before his 12-perfect-inning game
Pittsburgh Pirates Milwaukee Braves 0 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 R H E Pittsburgh Pirates 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 1 Milwaukee Braves 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0
Date	May 26, 1959
Venue	Milwaukee County Stadium
City	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Managers	Danny Murtaugh (Pittsburgh Pirates) Fred Haney (Milwaukee Braves)
Umpires	HP: Vinnie Smith 1B: Frank Dascoli 2B: Frank Secory 3B: Hal Dixon
Attendance	19,194

On May 26, 1959, Harvey Haddix of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitched a perfect game for 12 innings against the Milwaukee Braves, but lost the no-hitter and the game in the 13th inning. The game was played at Milwaukee County Stadium.^[1]

Haddix' perfect game bid was broken up in the bottom of the 13th inning, when a throwing error by Pirate third baseman Don Hoak allowed Félix Mantilla to reach base. Haddix lost the no-hitter, and the game along with it, when Joe Adcock hit what appeared to be a walk-off three-run home run. However, Hank Aaron's baserunning mistake caused Adcock's home run to be ruled a one-run double by National League President Warren Giles, some time later.

Braves starter Lew Burdette, despite giving up eight hits through nine innings, was pitching a shutout of his own. Several times, the Pirates came close to scoring the winning run for Haddix:

• In the third inning, a baserunning blunder by Roman Mejias—trying to go from first to third on an infield single by Haddix—turned into an out at third, and negated an inning in which the Pirates hit three singles.
• In the top of the ninth inning, Bill Virdon, after reaching base on a one-out hit, advanced to third on Rocky Nelson's single. However, Bob Skinner grounded back to Burdette to end the threat.
• In the 10th inning, with the Pirates still scoreless, slugging pinch hitter Dick Stuart flied out to center fielder Andy Pafko on a ball that came within a few feet of being a two-run home run.
• The Pirates also recorded hits in the 11th, 12th and 13th innings, but left a runner on base in each of the latter two innings.^[1]

In 1989 it was revealed that during the game the Milwaukee bullpen tracked Haddix's intended pitches and signaled the batters what pitch was to come. All the players except Aaron took the stolen signals.