Editor’s note: Throughout this year, Press Room Pass will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1969 baseball season with a variety of stories from the covering personal accomplishments, unique moments, major league expansion and the amazing New York Mets. This is the latest installment of that series.
One day after Cincinnati’s Jim Maloney beat Houston with a no-hitter, Don Wilson of the Astros duplicated the feat against the Reds at Crosley Field on May 1.
In the third no-hitter of 1969, Wilson used his anger to fuel his performance in the 4-0 win.
“I don’t like them,” Wilson said in an article that was in the Milwaukee Journal on May 2. “I was trying to prove something tonight – trying to pay them back for what they did to us when they beat me 14-0. They stuck their tongues out at us. They laughed at us. I wanted to prove to them that we are professionals too.”
On April 22, Wilson worked five innings and gave up seven runs in a 13-2 loss to the Reds in Houston.
“You can believe Wilson if you want to,” Cincinnati manager Dave Bristol said. “Personally, I am not a Don Wilson fan.”
Astros manager Harry Walker didn’t have a lot of comments.
“There’s not much to say,” he stated. “What was said was said from the pitching mound. One man just overpowered nine.”
Wilson fanned 13 and walked six as he threw the second no-hitter of his career.
Offensively for the Astros, future Red Denis Menke had two hits and two RBI. Doug Rader also hit a homer.
Wilson pitched one other game against the Reds in 1969 on July 11. He tossed a complete game allowing six hits with 10 strikeouts as the Astros beat Maloney 13-2.
Finishing the 1969 season with a career-high in wins at 16-12, Wilson also had his highest ERA at 4.00.
An all-star in 1971, Wilson matched best win total with a 16-10 record and a 2.45 ERA.
In nine seasons with the Astros from 1966 to 1974, Wilson was 104-92 with a 3.15 ERA.
First No-Hitter
Wilson fanned 15 as he beat the Braves 2-0 in Houston on June 18, 1967.
He struck out Hank Aaron, Mack Jones and Tito Francona three times each.
A Tragedy
Wilson and his young son passed away on Jan. 5, 1975. He was found in his garage in his car with the engine running, while his son was sleeping in a room above the garage.
His No. 40 was retired by the Astros at the beginning of the 1975 season and he is part of the team’s inaugural Hall of Fame class.
Back-to-Back
The Maloney-Wilson no-hitters marked the second time in big league history that a pair of performances between the same two teams had happened on back-to-back days.
In 1968, Gaylord Perry of the San Francisco Giants and Ray Washburn of the St. Louis Cardinals were the first duo to toss historic no-hitters on Sept. 17-18.
Perry beat the Cardinals 1-0 in San Francisco, while Washburn blanked the Giants 2-0 at Candlestick Park.