The Day Where Two No-Hitters Were Thrown
Fernando Valenzuela and Dave Stewart made history together
One of baseball’s greatest days came on June 29, 1990. On that day, both the American League and the National League saw no hitters thrown by two pitchers at very different stages of their careers.
Dave Stewart got the party started in Toronto, where he dominated his future team in the Blue Jays with a 5–0 no-hitter at the SkyDome. Stewart struck out 12, allowed just three baserunners, and needed 115 pitches to finish the job. At 33, he was in the midst of a dominant run with the A’s with 1990 being his best season, calling the no-hitter “the highlight of my career.”
Hours later, across the continent, Fernando Valenzuela took the mound for the Dodgers against the St. Louis Cardinals. Before the game, he learned of Stewart’s feat and told a clubhouse attendant, “You saw one on TV, now you’re going to see one in person.” It turned out he wasn’t joking.
Relying on his signature screwball, Valenzuela baffled the Cardinals all night. He struck out seven, walked three, and got key defensive help — including a dramatic final play when Pedro Guerrero hit a sharp grounder that deflected off Valenzuela’s glove. Alfredo Griffin scooped it up, flipped to Juan Samuel, and completed the double play to end the game and seal the 6–0 no-hitter.
It was the only no-hitter of Valenzuela’s career and the only one of Stewart’s. More importantly, it marked the first, and still the only time in modern MLB history that two no-hitters were thrown on the same day. Ted Breitenstein and Jim Hughes also threw no-hitters on April 22, 1898 before the modern era would begin.
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This Day In Sports History
1961: Willie Mays becomes the 4th player to have multiple 3 home run games in one season.
1969: Stan Musial sets NL record for consecutive games played at 896.
1986: Sparky Anderson becomes 1st to win 600 games as manager in both leagues.
Random Stat Of The Day
The Giants have the most wins in the month of May at 2058. The Yankees have the best winning percentage at .579 over 3,250 games.