As a baseball fan, I am always looking for something related to baseball to read. In Venezuela we have a great baseball journalist named Juan Vene. In today’s column from the local newspaper, I found a really interesting story.

Apparently, Vene was asked if there was a pitcher in professional baseball history to strike out 27 batters in one game. After doing some research, he found out that in May 13, 1952, a 19-year old pitcher named Ron Necciai struck out 27 batters in one game.

Necciai was playing in the Appalachian League for the Pirates at the time, and is the only professional pitcher ever to achieve such a great feature. The hurler not only won the game 7-0, and struck out 27 batters, he also threw a no hitter.

During the game only four batters reached base. One reached on an error from the short stop, one after from a walk, one by a hit by pitch and another one after a passed ball from the catcher after a third strike. Only two players put the ball in play, one player grounded out to first and the one who reached on an error.

Necciai struck out 24 players more in his next start, but after he was called up by the Pirates in August that same year he went 1-6 with a 7.08 ERA. That was the only time he ever played in the Majors, he played a couple more Minor League seasons, but he couldn’t overcome a series of injuries.

It is hard to imagine that anybody could achieve that feature ever again at a professional level. And even though he couldn’t make it as a Major League pitcher he should always be remembered as the only professional hurler to strike out 27 batters in one game.

Fragments of Juan Vene’s column of today’s Ultimas Noticias’ edition were used in this article.

Image by rightbraining under the Creative Commons License.