When Phillies' Rick Wise No-Hit the Cincinnati Reds

It was the bottom of the ninth, with two outs.  Although the Phillies had a four run lead, this was no time to relax.  One of the best hitters in the league, a former Rookie of the Year and two time batting title champion, had worked a full count.  Much was riding on this next pitch.

The man on the mound, however, had been preparing his whole life for this moment.  Just thirteen years earlier, at age twelve, he had led his team to the Little League World Series.  Three years after that, he became only the second player to pitchers  a no-hitter in the Babe Ruth World series.  Major league scouts had shown interest in the teenaged Rick Wise, for quite some time.  One scout even pressured Wise's parents to sign a major league contract for their minor son on the spot, warning that his value could only decrease if Rick had a bad game.  In his next game, Wise proceeded to strike out twenty-two batters in nine innings.

June 23, 1971 would prove to be a defining moment in Rick Wise's career.

In that pivotal moment, Wise faced none other than the future hit king, Pete Rose.  Rose was batting lead-off that day, and the only reason his turn in the order came up, was because Wise had walked Dave Concepcion in the bottom of the sixth inning.  No other Red had reached base.  But completing the no-hitter was not going to be a walk in the park.  Rick Wise would have to retire Peter Rose, thirty years old and in the prime of his career.

Rick Wise's achievement that day was notable not only because of his quality pitching performance, but also because of his execution at the plate.  Wise had hit not one, but two home runs that day, the first being a two-run shot in the top of the fifth.  His second round tripper, a solo shot to lead off the eighth inning, provided the Phils with an insurance run with two innings to go.

But Rose would not go down easy. Rose hit a sharp line drive to the left side of the infield.  Fortunately for Wise, third baseman George Vukovich was perfectly placed to snatch the line drive, and retire Rise for the final out of the game.  Rick Wise had pitched the first Phillies no-hitter since Jim Bunning’s Fathers’ Day perfect game game in 1964.  Fittingly, Wise has been on the mound for the second game of the double header that day, and notched his first major league victory, beating the Mets 8-2 without giving up an earned run in six innings pitched.

Wise became the only pitcher to hit two home runs in a game where he no-hit the other team, a feat likely never to be duplicated with the pressure on the National League to abandon tradition and adopt the monstrosity known as the designated hitter.  Indeed, Wise had a remarkable 1971 season offensively.  He once again provided the hits needed to win his own game on August 28th, when he pitched the second game of a double header.  With the game tied at 2-2, Wise put the Phillies ahead in the fifth inning with a solo home run.  The game was on the line again with a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the eighth.  This time, Wise broke the tie for good with a grand slam.  The Phillies won that game, 7-3, with Wise responsible for five of their runs. 

But Rick Wise was not done yet.  On September 18th, Wise gave up a lead off three run home run in the top of the second.  He then proceeded to mow down thirty two straight batters, as the Phillies tied the game, and then sent it into extra innings.  In a performance unheard of in today's game, Wise, the starting pitcher, continued on even after pitching a full nine innings.  In the bottom of the twelfth, the Cubs made the assumption that they were better off pitching to the pitcher, and proceeded to intentionally walk two batters to get to Wise.  Wise responded with a walk-off single, again providing the offense needed to win his own game.

All toll, Rick Wise hit six home runs in 1971, and fifteen in his career, which included six years in the American League after it had adopted the artificial hitter.

In seven seasons with the Phillies, Wise had a record of 75-76, just a hair shy of a .500 winning percentage.  His ERA was a healthy 3.60, with 717 strike outs.

Yet, to many Phillies fans, Rick Wise will forever be known as the answer to the trivia question, who did the Phillies trade to obtain Steve Carlton from the Cardinals.  At the time, despite having played seven seasons as well, Lefty only had two wins more than Wise.  But, whereas Lefty had already been part of two World Championships, Wise played on a team that struggled to reach higher than fifth after the 1964 disaster.

Keep in mind how different the economics of the sport was in 1971.  Mass free agency had not yet come to the sport.  So when Carlton demanded a raise after the 1971 season, he didn't have the option to test the market. 

By:  William J. Kovatch, Jr. 

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References

 

Statistics were obtained from Baseball Reference.

Shenk, Larry, "Wise had memorable '71 season on mound, at plate," MLB.com (September 10, 2014).