Another shutout, albeit combined, 56 years later

On Tuesday past, the exact 56 year anniversary of the L.A. Dodgers’ Don Drysdale pitching a record 6th straight shutout, that vs the Pittsburgh Pirates, on his way to breaking Walter Johnson’s 56 scoreless innings streak set 55 years earlier in 1913, again it was a shutout, this time a combined Pirates’ effort at home vs the Dodgers.

In both Drysdale’s of course complete game shutout (you can keep combined ones and pitchers who go at most 8 innings, most times 5 or 6) and the combined one started by Pittsburgh’s Jones, on another Tuesday June 4th, the losing team, the Pirates in 1968 and the Dodgers these 56 years later, managed 5 hits.

Certainly what made me think of the game 56 years ago, as stated here this week, is the fact that not long after winning the California Primary and including congratulations to Don Drysdale in his subsequent speech, Senator Robert F. Kennedy was shot and died the next day.

Don Drysdale’s mound opponent (ode to Bob Murphy and more of Mr. Murphy on its way) in that June 4, 1968 game, was a future U.S. senator and excellent pitcher, Jim Bunning.

Nowadays, it is almost impossible to get an individual no-hitter, (again not good), Mr. Bunning pitched no-hit games in both the American League, when with the Detroit Tigers, with whom he is pictured above and on a Father’s Day in 1964, Bunning a father of 9 children pitched a perfect game for the Philadelphia Phillies vs the New York Mets.

Click above to view Bunning strikeout John Stephenson (John turned 83 on April 13th, another John Stephenson, a voice actor, “voiced” Mr. Slade, Fred Flintstone’s boss on “The Flintstones.” Speaking of voices and great broadcasters, as previewed above, the great Bob Murphy is the broadcaster) to complete a perfect game.