John, my brother Steve and I attended that doubleheader and I still have the Program for Game One that I scored and my Sunpapers scorebook that I used for Game 2. We lost Game Two, 6-4. Steve and I took a Baltimore transit bus from Carney to Erdman Ave/Belair Road and then a transfer to the Stadium. A bright sunny day and beautiful weather. Barber was one of my favorites so it was sad to see him not be able to pitch much in the second half of the '66 season and suffer from arm miseries again in '67. It was torture to watch Steve walk all those Tiger batters and hit a couple batsmen, too, but we were still rooting for him to pitch a complete game no hitter. Earl Wilson pitched that game for the Tigers and was usually tough for the Orioles to beat.
After the first game, Tiger relievers were crossing the infield from their bullpen to their dugout/locker room and chuckling about their Game One win.
Great article, thanks so much. When I got the teaser about a unique game I initially thought about the August of ‘86 game against the Rangers that was the precursor to the 14-42 finish……
This game was definitely bizarre as well.
Barber really pitched quite well in ‘67. Between the pitching issues because of injury and F Robby getting hurt when he was potentially on his way towards a second triple crown, 1967 just didn’t go the Birds way.
If might be interesting to do a deep dive on that season from the optimism of spring training to the despair of injury, mixed with malaise from a winter of too many banquets. Dalton sent Russo on the road late in the year and he thought the team was completely out of shape…… hence the short leash of ‘68.
Interesting insights, Mark. You are certainly right about the impact of injuries that season, especially Frank’s. And Russo was dead right as usual that things were amiss.
Hey John...Remembering this no-hit oddity made me recall another that the Birds were involved in a couple of decades later, when Milacki, Flanagan, Williamson and Olson combined for a four pitcher no-hitter. I checked to see how rare that was, and it turns out it was only the 2nd time in MLB history this had occurred.
Bird Tapes subscriber David Maril was at Memorial Stadium that day and sent me his recollection:
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this account of Steve Barber and Stu Miller’s no hit losing game. It brought back many memories. I was at that game as a high school kid sitting in the lower reserve seats under the screen behind the plate. It definitely was the craziest game I ever attended as a fan or sports writer. It seemed as if Barber was in trouble every inning and pitching most of the time from the stretch.
Despite Barber’s wild performance, seeming to fall quite below the level of a masterpiece, I was very excited from the sixth inning on over the fact that he hadn’t allowed a hit. I was keeping score and really into the game.
Being just a kid, and not taking into consideration Barber’s wildness, or how many pitches he had thrown, I was furious when Hank Bauer came out and removed him. I was screaming from the stands at Bauer, questioning whether he even realized Barbet was working on a no-hitter. It infuriated me so much that I actually took my souvenir scorecard and ripped it up, tossing it on the ground.
So much irony in that game. As you pointed out, what were the odds that Mark Belanger would end up misplaying a fielding chance? This might’ve been the only major league game that he appeared at second base.
Years later, when I was doing a lot of flying back-and-forth between Massachusetts and Baltimore, I got to meet Steve Barber’s brother, who drove a shuttle van back-and-forth from the airport pre-Flight parking lot.
Tigers were a great hitting team. I sat in upper deck watching Barber’s pitches sail everywhere. No Tiger batter could get comfortable in the box. Barber definitely had no hitter stuff that day. It was a great game to watch in person .
Great stories! Any chance you can provide transcripts of the interviews? That would be so helpful as I typically don't have opportunities to listen. Thanks!
Larry, I have explored voice-to-text options as a way of providing transcripts of the interviews, but at this point, I haven't found one that produces a version I'd be comfortable posting -- a little too much garble. Any suggestions ... from anyone ... are welcomed.
BTW, I remember this game vividly. I was 9 years old and listened to it on my transistor radio. I couldn't believe what was happening and still recall my disappointment! :)
John, my brother Steve and I attended that doubleheader and I still have the Program for Game One that I scored and my Sunpapers scorebook that I used for Game 2. We lost Game Two, 6-4. Steve and I took a Baltimore transit bus from Carney to Erdman Ave/Belair Road and then a transfer to the Stadium. A bright sunny day and beautiful weather. Barber was one of my favorites so it was sad to see him not be able to pitch much in the second half of the '66 season and suffer from arm miseries again in '67. It was torture to watch Steve walk all those Tiger batters and hit a couple batsmen, too, but we were still rooting for him to pitch a complete game no hitter. Earl Wilson pitched that game for the Tigers and was usually tough for the Orioles to beat.
After the first game, Tiger relievers were crossing the infield from their bullpen to their dugout/locker room and chuckling about their Game One win.
Very impressive to still have those scorecards!
Great article, thanks so much. When I got the teaser about a unique game I initially thought about the August of ‘86 game against the Rangers that was the precursor to the 14-42 finish……
This game was definitely bizarre as well.
Barber really pitched quite well in ‘67. Between the pitching issues because of injury and F Robby getting hurt when he was potentially on his way towards a second triple crown, 1967 just didn’t go the Birds way.
If might be interesting to do a deep dive on that season from the optimism of spring training to the despair of injury, mixed with malaise from a winter of too many banquets. Dalton sent Russo on the road late in the year and he thought the team was completely out of shape…… hence the short leash of ‘68.
Interesting insights, Mark. You are certainly right about the impact of injuries that season, especially Frank’s. And Russo was dead right as usual that things were amiss.
Hey John...Remembering this no-hit oddity made me recall another that the Birds were involved in a couple of decades later, when Milacki, Flanagan, Williamson and Olson combined for a four pitcher no-hitter. I checked to see how rare that was, and it turns out it was only the 2nd time in MLB history this had occurred.
I remember that one well.
Bird Tapes subscriber David Maril was at Memorial Stadium that day and sent me his recollection:
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this account of Steve Barber and Stu Miller’s no hit losing game. It brought back many memories. I was at that game as a high school kid sitting in the lower reserve seats under the screen behind the plate. It definitely was the craziest game I ever attended as a fan or sports writer. It seemed as if Barber was in trouble every inning and pitching most of the time from the stretch.
Despite Barber’s wild performance, seeming to fall quite below the level of a masterpiece, I was very excited from the sixth inning on over the fact that he hadn’t allowed a hit. I was keeping score and really into the game.
Being just a kid, and not taking into consideration Barber’s wildness, or how many pitches he had thrown, I was furious when Hank Bauer came out and removed him. I was screaming from the stands at Bauer, questioning whether he even realized Barbet was working on a no-hitter. It infuriated me so much that I actually took my souvenir scorecard and ripped it up, tossing it on the ground.
So much irony in that game. As you pointed out, what were the odds that Mark Belanger would end up misplaying a fielding chance? This might’ve been the only major league game that he appeared at second base.
Years later, when I was doing a lot of flying back-and-forth between Massachusetts and Baltimore, I got to meet Steve Barber’s brother, who drove a shuttle van back-and-forth from the airport pre-Flight parking lot.
Thanks again for more Orioles memories.
Tigers were a great hitting team. I sat in upper deck watching Barber’s pitches sail everywhere. No Tiger batter could get comfortable in the box. Barber definitely had no hitter stuff that day. It was a great game to watch in person .
Great stories! Any chance you can provide transcripts of the interviews? That would be so helpful as I typically don't have opportunities to listen. Thanks!
Larry, I have explored voice-to-text options as a way of providing transcripts of the interviews, but at this point, I haven't found one that produces a version I'd be comfortable posting -- a little too much garble. Any suggestions ... from anyone ... are welcomed.
Thanks, John - Maybe someone has a solution.
BTW, I remember this game vividly. I was 9 years old and listened to it on my transistor radio. I couldn't believe what was happening and still recall my disappointment! :)