Ken Johnson | |||
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Pitcher | |||
Born: West Palm Beach, Florida |
June 16, 1933|||
Died: November 21, 2015 Pineville, Louisiana |
(aged 82)|||
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MLB debut | |||
September 13, 1958, for the Kansas City Athletics | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
April 18, 1970, for the Montreal Expos | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Win–loss record | 91–106 | ||
Earned run average | 3.46 | ||
Strikeouts | 1,042 | ||
Teams | |||
Career highlights and awards | |||
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Kenneth Travis "Ken" Johnson (June 16, 1933 – November 21, 2015) was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who became the first and so far only pitcher to lose a complete game nine-inning no-hitter.
Pitching for the Houston Colt .45s on April 23, 1964 at Colt Stadium, Johnson gave up no hits in a 1–0 loss to his former team, the Cincinnati Reds. The game's only run was scored in the top of the ninth after Pete Rose reached second base on an error (by Johnson himself), went to third on a ground-out, and scored on a second error, this one by second baseman Nellie Fox on Vada Pinson's ground ball. Opposing pitcher Joe Nuxhall retired the side in the bottom half to make Johnson a no-hit loser. Johnson still is the only player to ever lose an official no-hitter by himself.
He pitched for the Kansas City Athletics (1958–61), Cincinnati Reds (1961), Houston Colt .45/Astros (1962–65), Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves (1965–69), New York Yankees (1969), Chicago Cubs (1969), and Montreal Expos (1970).