| Don Cardwell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1935-12-07)December 7, 1935 Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S. | |
| Died: January 14, 2008(2008-01-14) (aged 72) Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 21, 1957, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 27, 1970, for the Atlanta Braves | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 102–138 |
| Earned run average | 3.92 |
| Strikeouts | 1,211 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Donald Eugene Cardwell (December 7, 1935 – January 14, 2008) was an AmericanMajor League Baseball (MLB) right-handedpitcher who played for fiveNational League (NL) teams from 1957 to 1970. He was the first pitcher in major league history to pitch ano-hitter in his first game after being traded. He pitched a no-hit, 4–0 winning game for theChicago Cubs on May 15, 1960, just two days after being traded from thePhiladelphia Phillies. After winning 15 games for the Cubs in 1961, hewon 13 games twice for thePittsburgh Pirates before helping theNew York Mets win the1969 World Series title.
Born inWinston-Salem, North Carolina, Cardwell signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1954.
Cardwell began playing in the major leagues when he made his debut for the Phillies in 1957. He struggled during his three seasons with the team, winning 16 games while losing 24 as a spot starter.
Cardwell was traded to the Cubs on May 13, 1960, forTony Taylor. Two days later, heno-hit theSt. Louis Cardinals 4–0 in the second game of adoubleheader atWrigley Field—the first no-hitter ever thrown by a pitcher in his first start with a new team. The lone baserunner for the Cardinals was by awalk from Cardwell toAlex Grammas with one out in the first inning; Cardwell then retired the next 26 batters. Two ninth-inning catches enabled Cardwell to secure the no-hitter: the first catch by Cubs right fielderGeorge Altman on aCarl Sawatskiline drive for the first out of the inning, and the second catch by Cubs left fielderWalt "Moose" Moryn onJoe Cunningham's sinking line drive to end the game, Moryn catching the ball just inches off the ground. Cardwell finished the season 9–16 and the Cubs 60–94 despite his no-hitter. Cardwell also showed his hitting ability in 1960, getting 16hits including fivehome runs in 77at bats for a .208batting average.
Cardwell's best major league season was for the Cubs in 1961, winning a career-high 15 games with a career-high 156 strikeouts.
Cardwell slumped to 7–16 in 1962. On October 12, he was traded with George Altman to the St. Louis Cardinals. However, his stay ended before he even pitched a game for the St. Louis team. A month later, the Cardinals traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a deal that sent former National LeagueMVPDick Groat to the Redbirds.
Cardwell won 13 games for the Pirates in 1963 while posting a career-best 3.07earned run average. He was sidelined most of the 1964 season with shoulder trouble.[1] In the 1965 season, he rebounded to win 13 more games. In December 1966, he was traded with Pirates outfielderDon Bosch to the New York Mets for pitcherDennis Ribant and utilitymanGary Kolb.[2]
Pitching mostly as a spot starter, Cardwell went 12–22 in his first two seasons with the Mets. In the 1969 season, he went 8–10 in a rotation with pitchersTom Seaver,Jerry Koosman,Nolan Ryan andGary Gentry, helping them win theWorld Series. In late July of that year, he had a 3–9 record, then won five straight, including a 1–0 shutout in the second game of a September 12 doubleheader against the Pirates (in the first game, Koosman had also blanked the Pirates 1–0; both pitchers drove in the only run in their respective games). This victory, the ninth of a ten-game winning streak for the Mets, came two days after the Mets had taken over first place for good in theNational League East (in 1969 the two leagues had been split into two divisions) by leapfrogging past the Chicago Cubs, who had been in first place for much of the season before stumbling down the stretch.
Cardwell was sold to theAtlanta Braves in July 1970,[3] where he ended his major league career. In his 14 major league seasons, he won 102 games while losing 138 games with 1,211 strikeouts in 2,1222⁄3innings pitched. Although only a career .135 hitter, Cardwell hit 15home runs with 53RBI.
Cardwell died on January 14, 2008, ofPick's disease in Winston-Salem. He had lived inClemmons at the time of the death.[4] He was interred inGod's Acre Cemetery inOld Salem, North Carolina.[5]
| Achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | No-hitter pitcher May 15, 1960 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |