OTDIB – May 26th – Ken Brett outshines his brother

Phil Gurnee ♦ May 26, 2017 ♦ Leave a comment

On this date in baseball – May 26th
May 26th, 1976 – Ken Brett goes 10 ten innings to win 1 – 0

Ken Brett’s no-hit bid ends with two outs in the ninth, when White Sox third baseman Jorge Orta hopes Jerry Remy’s slow roller will go foul. The no-hitter is lost when the ball stays fair, but the southpaw, who tosses 10 innings of two-hit ball, gets the victory when the Pale Hose beat California in the 11th, 1-0.

Ken Brett was the famous brother first.  Jonathan Arnold from sabr.org gives us the scoop.

The Red Sox were involved in what many consider the greatest pennant race of all time. They prevailed, and faced the St. Louis Cardinals in a rematch of their previous World Series appearance 21 years earlier. Because he was a September call-up, Brett wasn’t expected to be on the postseason roster. But one bullpen lefty (Bill Landis) went into the service, while another (Sparky Lyle) developed late-season arm trouble. So the Red Sox got approval from both Commissioner William Eckert and the Cardinals to put Brett on the roster, using the same loophole used by the California Angels for Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod) 35 years later.

Brett pitched twice in the World Series, becoming, at 19 years and one month, the youngest pitcher to ever appear in the fall classic. He pitched 1⅓ innings, with no runs, one strikeout, and one walk, but even that short stint was enough for the opposing manager to praise the phenom. “Where has he been?” said Cardinals skipper Red Schoendienst after his first appearance. “With the kind of stuff he showed us, you wonder why he isn’t starting the Series. But don’t let me give the Red Sox any ideas.”