memories of catching a no-hitter in 1974

In 1974 I caught a no hitter from Steve Dunning at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento in the Pacific Coast league.  It was the smallest ballpark in the country, 233 feet down the left field line with a 40 foot high net, 395 in center and 300 in right. The picture is of Steve and I after we got Sixto Lezcano to ground out to Pete Mackanin to finish the no-hitter.

Steve had absolutely nothing in the bull pen warming up and when I went down to catch his last few warm up pitches before he went to the mound, Billl Fahey, who was warming him up said to me, “Good luck, he has nothing.”

As Steve and I walked to the dugout Steve said, “I better find something between the dugout and the mound because I didn’t have a thing in the bull pen.”

The rest is history as he struck out 14, walked 3 and never gave up a hard hit ball until the final out, a screaming grounder at our shortstop who picked it and threw out Lezcano for the last out of the game.