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Jim Rooker, in just the Kansas City Royals' second year of existence, was within three outs on June 4, 1970, of throwing the city's first no-hitter as an American League franchise as either the Athletics or Royals. But Horace Clarke spoiled it with a single leading off the ninth inning, and Clarke went on to drive in the winning run in the 12th inning in the New York Yankees' 2-1 victory at Yankee Stadium.
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By Phil Ellenbecker
The Who had a that out in 1966 by John Entwistle "Boris the Spider."
The New York Yankees had a second baseman in about that Horace Clarke, and his is as "Hoss" on his Baseball Reference , you could him "Horace the Spoiler" for what he in 1970. That's when Clarke, a month's , up three no-hitters in the ninth .
His first was Jim Rooker of the Kansas City Royals. When Rooker the Thursday , June 4, no Kansas City in the 's existence as an American League , as the Athletics from 1955 to 1967 and as the Royals from 1969 on, had a no-hitter.
When he the to the ninth that , Rooker was three of a no-no. But Clarke it with a leadoff , and before the was out Rooker had a . Before the night was out he'd the , the Yankees a 2-1 before 6,510 at Yankee Stadium.
And Clarke -- whose with the Yankees was by some as "The Horace Clarke Era" because of his with some downtrodden in the 's proud -- was just .
On June 19, Clarke Sonny Siebert's no-hitter, again off the ninth with a . It a too-late four-run rally as the Yankees 7-4 to Boston in New York. Then on July 2, Joe Niekro was two of a no-hitter when Clarke the party again with a in a 5-0 Yankees in Detroit.
Clarke not only broke up the no-hitter June 4, he also won the game in the 12th with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly off reliever Moe Drabowsky.
But first, the no-hitter. It hadn't been the tidiest of gems for Rooker coming into the ninth, and he had been his own worst enemy with four walks and an error on a ball back to him. Nonetheless, he'd hadn't let a Yankee into scoring position since the second inning, he had a shutout. And he had a no-hitter.
Then Clarke, who'd been a pest from the start by drawing a in the first and going to second base on a wild pitch, singled to left to begin the ninth. Bobby Murcer then drove him home with a double to tie the at 1-1. Rooker retired the next three batters, sending the into extra innings.
Amos Otis, in the first year of a stellar career as Royals center fielder after coming over in a steal of a trade with the Mets, prevented a Yankee threat in the 11th when he threw out Murcer at third on Roy White's . Otis would all American League outfielders in assists this season with 16.
Murcer had reached on a single, making him 2-for-5 on the day.
Ron Woods got the Yankees started toward winning in the 12th with a leadoff single. John Ellis Jerry Kenney, running for Woods, at second. Gene "The Stick" Michael, Yankees manager and general manager, with a single, and Rooker runners around the horn by walking Pete Ward, batting for pitcher Lindy McDaniel. It was Rooker's seventh base on balls (two intentional).
That ended Rooker's day and brought on Drabowsky. Clarke then the game by scoring Kenney with his fly out to center.
That made a winner of future Royal McDaniel, who'd on to the 10th and allowed one with no walks and one strikeout in three innings. He to 5-1.
Rooker fell to 3-3, allowing six hits, two runs, both earned, and striking out eight to go with his seven walks in 11 1/3 innings.
Matching goose eggs with Rooker most of the night was Stan Bahnsen. The 1968 AL Rookie of the Year shut out the Royals after a first-inning and seven hits, struck out four and didn't walk a batter in eight innings.
Bob Oliver gave Kansas City the when he singled in Joe Keough with two out in the first. Keough had reached base when Bahnsen dropped a throw from first baseman John Ellis after a grounder to Ellis. He advanced to second on Otis' ground out to shortstop.
Oliver and leadoff batter Jackie Hernandez each went 2-for-5 on the night to join Murcer with multi-hit games.
Oliver tried to his single but got caught in a rundown that resulted in the third out.
And that was it for the Royals' scoring. Their biggest threat in the fourth when Otis and advanced to third on a single by Oliver and a double-play grounder by Lou Piniella. But he was stranded when Bahnsen struck out Ed Kirkpatrick looking.
Hernandez reached second in the 10th on his one-out and a ground out by Keough. But Otis lined out to Murcer in center.
Rooker went on to pitch two nine-inning two-hitters when he was dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates, in 1975 and 1979, but didn't come close to a no-hitter each time, giving up hits in the first and fourth innings.
Rooker, who pitched briefly with the world champion Detroit Tigers during the 1968 regular season, had his best year with the Royals in 1970, going 10-15 with a 3.55 ERA. His with the Pirates was more notable, including a career-best season of 15-11, 2.78, in 1974. He also started Game 5 of the 1979 World Series and after five innings trailing 1-0. The Pirates, down 3-1 in games at the time, rallied to that and eventually the Series.
But probably Rooker is probably best known, beyond his pitching, for his words and deeds as part of the Pirates' broadcasting team.
"Rooker became a Pittsburgh
with his ability to combine professional skill as a broadcaster with his
propensity to speak his mind and be critical in a nonthreatening manner," Rich Shook wrote for the Society for American Baseball Research's Biography Project.
In particular, Rooker is known for a pronouncement he made June 8, 1989, after the Pirates had scored 10 runs in the top of the first at Philadelphia.
“If we lose this game,” Rooker said, “I’ll walk home.”
Sure enough, the Phillies rallied to win, 15-11. Rooker didn't up to his pledge that night, but after the season a 13-day Philly-to-Pittsburgh walk, as “Jim Rooker’s Unintentional Walk" was staged, with $81,000 raised to go to Children's Hospital in both cities.
"It was hell," Rooker said. "You don’t realize what it can do to your feet.
after day. We didn’t realize how bad it was going to be."
But at least Rooker finished what he started, unlike the night of June 4, 1970. That's when Horace Clarke put his foot down. "Horace the Spoiler."
Sources:
Box score and play-by-play: https://www.
Rooker biography: https://sabr.org/
Additional background came from various sources on the Retrosheet and Society for American Baseball Research's Biography Project and Games Project websites, as well as baseballreference.com
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