Chris Heston and the Giants Pitching a No-Hitter in Four Consecutive Seasons

Chris Heston of the San Francisco Giants no-hit the Mets last night.



He hit three batters, but those would be the only baserunners against him. It's only the third no-hitter since 1914 that had the only baserunners come on hit batsmen, but the other two only had one each (Lew Burdette 8-18-1960 and Kevin Brown 6-10-1997).

Only two other no-hitters since 1914 had multiple hit by pitches (Virgil Trucks 5-15-1952 and Bo Belinsky 5-5-1962). Those both had two HBP's, making this the first in at least the last century with three hit batsmen.

No-hitters have become an annual occurrence for the Giants. Matt Cain pitched a 15-strikeout perfect game in 2012, Tim Lincecum threw a 148-pitch no-hitter in 2013, and Lincecum pitched another no-no last year. Heston's gem made the Giants the second team to pitch a no-hitter in four consecutive seasons:

1962-65 Dodgers

1962: Sandy Koufax (6-30-1962)
1963: Sandy Koufax (5-11-1963)
1964: Sandy Koufax (6-4-1964)
1965: Sandy Koufax (9-9-1965)

Sandy Koufax: Pretty Good.

The last of these was a 14-strikeout perfect game, the most in a perfecto along with Cain's masterpiece.


Let's take a look at the four other teams that have pitched a no-hitter in three consecutive seasons:

1916-18 Red Sox

1916: Rube Foster (6-21-1916), Dutch Leonard (8-30-1916)
1917: Babe Ruth and Ernie Shore (6-23-1917)
1918: Dutch Leonard (6-13-1918)

That 1917 game featured the greatest relief appearance in baseball history. Ruth walked the first batter of the game, Ray Morgan. He argued with home plate umpire Brick Owens, who ejected him from the game. Ruth responded by slugging Owens in the head and Shore was called in to pitch on two days rest. Morgan was immediately thrown out stealing second and then Shore retired all 26 batters. It's not an official perfect game because of the Ruth walk, but it goes down instead as a combined no-hitter.

1946-48 Indians

1946: Bob Feller (4-30-1946)
1947: Don Black (7-10-1947)
1948: Bob Lemon (6-30-1948)

Black is the relative unknown here. He beat Bill McCahan and the A's in his no-no, then McCahan no-hit the Senators two months later. Only three other pitchers have been on the wrong end of a no-hitter, then pitched MLB's next one (Hugh Daily 1883, Mal Eason 1906, Tim Lincecum 2013). We'll see if Noah Syndergaard pitches the major leagues' next no-no.

1967-69 Orioles

1967: Steve Barber and Stu Miller (4-30-1967)
1968: Tom Phoebus (4-27-1968)
1969: Jim Palmer (8-13-1969)

The combined no-hitter by Barber and Miller was actually a loss! The O's had just taken a 1-0 lead in the eighth on a Luis Aparicio sac fly, but Barber opened the ninth by walking the first two batters. He set down the next two and got two strikes on Mickey Stanley, but with runners on second and third, he uncorked a wild pitch that tied the game. He ended up walking Stanley for his tenth free pass of the game (!) and departed for Miller. From the SABR article about the game:

The first batter he faced, Don Wert, smacked a ground ball up the middle that shortstop Luis Aparicio ranged far to his left and caught on the run. Aparicio then gave a backhanded toss to second baseman Mark Belanger, who had just entered the game as a defensive replacement, for the force out. The normally sure-handed Belanger’s bare hand got in the way of the throw causing the ball to drop out of his glove. The error allowed Wood to score the Tigers' second run of the game. The next hitter, Al Kaline, hit a sharp grounder that caromed off third baseman’s Brooks Robinson’s glove. The ball took a fortuitous bounce into the waiting hands of Aparicio, who threw to Belanger covering second for final out of the inning.

This game was so strange that the great Mark Belanger made an error that allowed the winning run to score. Fred Gladding worked a 1-2-3 ninth and the Tigers beat Baltimore 2-1 despite being no-hit.

1973-75 Angels

1973: Nolan Ryan (5-15-1973), Nolan Ryan (7-15-1973)
1974: Nolan Ryan (9-28-1974)
1975: Nolan Ryan (6-1-1975)

This is like the Dodgers streak in that only one pitcher is responsible for it. With two outs in the ninth inning of the first no-hitter, Norm Cash came to the plate with a table leg instead of a bat. When home plate ump Ron Luciano told him he couldn't bat with a table leg instead of a bat, Cash (0-for-3, 2 K) said, "But Ron, I’ve got as much chance with this as I do with a bat." He popped up to short for the final out.

Multiple Overtime Games in a Championship Series

The NBA Finals is off to a fantastic start as the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers split the first two games, with both contests going to overtime. It's the first time in NBA Finals history that the first two games required an extra five minutes, and only seven other championship series had more than one overtime game at any point in the series.

Year	Team	Team	OT Games	Series
1952	Lakers	Knicks	Game 1 at MIN: Lakers 83-79	Lakers 4-3
			Game 4 at NYK: Knicks 90-89
1957	Celtics	Hawks	Game 1 at BOS: Hawks 125-123 (2 OT)	Celtics 4-3
			* Game 7 at BOS: Celtics 125-123 (2 OT)
1969 ABA	Oaks	Pacers	Game 3 at IND: Oaks 134-126	Oaks 4-1
			* Game 5 at OAK: Oaks 135-131
1970	Knicks	Lakers	Game 3 at LAL: Knicks 111-108	Knicks 4-3
			Game 4 at LAL: Lakers 121-115
1974	Bucks	Celtics	Game 2 at MIL: Bucks 105-96	Celtics 4-3
			Game 6 at BOS: Bucks 102-101 (2 OT)
1984	Celtics	Lakers	Game 2 at BOS: Celtics 124-121	Celtics 4-3
			Game 4 at LAL: Celtics 129-125
2009	Lakers	Magic	Game 2 at LAL: Lakers 101-96	Lakers 4-1
			Game 4 at ORL: Lakers 99-91
2015	Warriors	Cavaliers	Game 1 at GS: Warriors 108-100	Tied 1-1
			Game 2 at GS: Cavaliers 95-93

* Clincher



This is much more common in hockey, as 22 Stanley Cup Finals have had multiple overtime games. Seven series have had at least three overtime games, including the 1951 Final in which all five games went to OT.

Year	Team	Team	OT Games	Series
1927	Bruins	Senators	Game 1 at BOS: Tied 0-0	Senators 2-0
			Game 3 at OTT: Tied 1-1
1931	Black Hawks	Canadiens	Game 2 at CHI: Black Hawks 2-1 (2 OT)	Canadiens 3-2
			Game 3 at MON: Black Hawks 3-2 (3 OT)
1934	Red Wings	Black Hawks	Game 1 at DET: Black Hawks 2-1 (2 OT)	Black Hawks 3-1
			* Game 4: at CHI: Black Hawks 1-0 (2 OT)
1940	Rangers	Maple Leafs	Game 1 at NYR: Rangers 2-1	Rangers 4-2
			Game 5 at TOR: Rangers 2-1 (2 OT)
			* Game 6 at TOR: Rangers 3-2
1946	Canadiens	Bruins	Game 1 at MON: Canadiens 4-3	Canadiens 4-1
			Game 2 at MON: Canadiens 3-2
			Game 4 at BOS: Bruins 3-2
1950	Red Wings	Rangers	Game 4 at DET: Rangers 4-3	Red Wings 4-3
			Game 5 at DET: Rangers 2-1
			* Game 7 at DET: Red Wings 4-3 (2 OT)
1951	Maple Leafs	Canadiens	Game 1 at TOR: Maple Leafs 3-2	Maple Leafs 4-1
			Game 2 at TOR: Canadiens 3-2
			Game 3 at MON: Maple Leafs 2-1
			Game 4 at MON: Maple Leafs 3-2
			* Game 5 at TOR: Maple Leafs 3-2
1954	Red Wings	Canadiens	Game 5 at DET: Canadiens 1-0	Red Wings 4-3
			* Game 7 at DET: Red Wings 2-1
1964	Maple Leafs	Red Wings	Game 2 at TOR: Red Wings 4-3	Maple Leafs 4-3
			Game 6 at DET: Maple Leafs 4-3
1968	Blues	Canadiens	Game 1 at STL: Canadiens 3-2	Canadiens 4-0
			Game 3 at MON: Canadiens 3-2
1978	Canadiens	Bruins	Game 2 at MON: Canadiens 3-2	Canadiens 4-2
			Game 4 at BOS: Bruins 4-3
1980	Flyers	Islanders	Game 1 at PHI: Islanders 4-3	Islanders 4-2
			* Game 6 at NYI: Islanders 5-4
1993	Canadiens	Kings	Game 2 at MON: Canadiens 3-2	Canadiens 4-1
			Game 3 at LAK: Canadiens 4-3
			Game 4 at LAK: Canadiens 3-2
1999	Stars	Sabres	Game 1 at DAL: Sabres 3-2	Stars 4-2
			* Game 6 at BUF: Stars 2-1 (3 OT)
2000	Devils	Stars	Game 5 at NJ: Stars 1-0 (3 OT)	Devils 4-2
			* Game 6 at DAL: Devils 2-1 (2 OT)
2002	Red Wings	Hurricanes	Game 1 at DET: Hurricanes 3-2	Red Wings 4-1
			Game 3 at CAR: Red Wings 3-2 (3 OT)
2003	Devils	Mighty Ducks	Game 3 at MDA: Mighty Ducks 3-2	Devils 4-3
			Game 4 at MDA: Mighty Ducks 1-0
2004	Lightning	Flames	Game 5 at TB: Flames 3-2	Lightning 4-3
			Game 6 at CGY: Lightning 3-2 (2 OT)
2010	Blackhawks	Flyers	Game 3 at PHI: Flyers 4-3	Blackhawks 4-2
			* Game 6 at PHI: Blackhawks 4-3
2012	Devils	Kings	Game 1 at NJ: Kings 2-1	Kings 4-2
			Game 2 at NJ: Kings 2-1
2013	Blackhawks	Bruins	Game 1 at CHI: Blackhawks 4-3 (3 OT)	Blackhawks 4-2
			Game 2 at CHI: Bruins 2-1
			Game 4 at BOS: Blackhawks 6-5
2014	Kings	Rangers	Game 1 at LAK: Kings 3-2	Kings 4-1
			Game 2 at LAK: Kings 5-4 (2 OT)
			* Game 5 at LAK: Kings 3-2 (2 OT)

* Clincher



Ending with baseball, there have been nine World Series that have had multiple extra-inning games, including the 1991 Fall Classic, which had three such games.

Year	Team	Team	Extra-Inning Games	Series
1911	Giants	Athletics	Game 3 at NYG: Athletics 3-2 (11)	Athletics 4-2
			Game 5 at NYG: Giants 4-3 (10)
1912	Red Sox	Giants	Game 2 at BOS: Tied 6-6 (11)	Red Sox 4-3
			* Game 8 at BOS: Red Sox 3-2 (10)
1924	Senators	Giants	Game 1 at WAS: Giants 4-3 (12)	Senators 4-3
			* Game 7 at WAS: Senators 4-3 (12)
1933	Giants	Senators	Game 4 at WAS: Giants 2-1 (11)	Giants 4-1
			* Game 5 at WAS: Giants 4-3 (10)
1958	Braves	Yankees	Game 1 at MIL: Braves 4-3 (10)	Yankees 4-3
			Game 6 at MIL: Yankees 4-3 (10)
1973	Athletics	Mets	Game 2 at OAK: Mets 10-7 (12)	Athletics 4-3
			Game 3 at NYM: Athletics 3-2 (11)
1975	Red Sox	Reds	Game 3 at CIN: Reds 6-5 (10)	Reds 4-3
			Game 6 at BOS: Red Sox 7-6 (12)
1991	Twins	Braves	Game 3 at ATL: Braves 5-4 (12)	Twins 4-3
			Game 6 at MIN: Twins 4-3 (11)
			* Game 7 at MIN: Twins 1-0 (10)
2001	Diamondbacks	Yankees	Game 4 at NYY: Yankees 4-3 (10)	Diamondbacks 4-3
			Game 5 at NYY: Yankees 3-2 (12)

* Clincher


Of the 39 series listed above, this NBA Finals is the sixth to have both of the first two games go beyond regulation, joining the Stanley Cup Finals from 1946, 1951, 2012, 2013 and 2014. It's odd that it happened only twice until 2012, but has now occurred in each of the last four Junes.

Looking ahead to Tuesday's Game Three in Cleveland, only two series have had three consecutive overtime games at any point: the aforementioned 1951 Cup Final and the 1993 Cup Final in which Montreal won Games Two, Three and Four.



Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes, Andre Iguodala, Andrew Bogut, Shaun Livingston, Festus Ezeli, Leandro Barbosa, Marreese Speights, LeBron James, Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, Timofey Mozgov, Matthew Dellavedova, Kyrie Irving, James Jones, Mike Miller

Oakland vs. Cleveland in the Postseason

It seems like it's been a while since we've seen an NBA game, but the Warriors and Cavaliers will finally begin the NBA Finals tonight. Cleveland heads into the championship series with eight days of rest and Golden State has seven days. The reason for the long break is that both teams made quick work of their Conference Finals opponents. Since moving to a best-of-seven in 1958, it is only the fourth time in NBA history that both Division/Conference Finals were wrapped up in four or five games. 

NBA	East Finals	Gm	West Finals	Gm	NBA Finals	Gm
1970	Knicks d. Bucks	5	Lakers d. Hawks	4	Knicks d. Lakers	7
1974	Celtics d. Knicks	5	Bucks d. Bulls	4	Celtics d. Bucks	7
1986	Celtics d. Bucks	4	Rockets d. Lakers	5	Celtics d. Rockets	6
2015	Cavaliers d. Hawks	4	Warriors d. Rockets	5	???

As for the other sports, it's more common in the NHL and last year was the first time in MLB since the LCS became best-of-seven.

NHL	Semifinal/East Final	Gm	Semifinal/West Final	Gm	Stanley Cup Final	Gm
1946	Bruins d. Red Wings	5	Canadiens d. Black Hawks	4	Canadiens d. Bruins	5
1954	Canadiens d. Bruins	4	Red Wings d. Maple Leafs	5	Red Wings d. Canadiens	7
1955	Canadiens d. Bruins	5	Red Wings d. Maple Leafs	4	Red Wings d. Canadiens	7
1972	Rangers d. Black Hawks	4	Bruins d. Blues	4	Bruins d. Rangers	6
1978	Bruins d. Flyers	5	Canadiens d. Maple Leafs	4	Canadiens d. Bruins	6
1982	Islanders d. Nordiques	4	Canucks d. Black Hawks	5	Islanders d. Canucks	4
1992	Penguins d. Bruins	4	Blackhawks d. Oilers	4	Penguins d. Blackhawks	4
2009	Penguins d. Hurricanes	4	Red Wings d. Blackhawks	5	Penguins d. Red Wings	7
2010	Flyers d. Canadiens	5	Blackhawks d. Sharks	4	Blackhawks d. Flyers	6
2013	Bruins d. Penguins	4	Blackhawks d. Kings	5	Blackhawks d. Bruins	6
MLB	ALCS	Gm	NLCS	Gm	World Series	Gm
2014	Royals d. Orioles	4	Giants d. Cardinals	5	Giants d. Royals	7

Golden State ran up the league's best record at 67-15, while Cleveland was second in the East with a 53-29 mark. The 14-game gap between the two is tied for the seventh-largest between Finals participants. When the teams are separated by double digits, the team with the better record is 16-2, but the two upsets were both sweeps.

Year	Team	Wins	Team	Wins	Margin	Result
1967	76ers	68	Warriors	44	24	76ers 4-2
1971	Bucks	66	Bullets	42	24	Bucks 4-0
1981	Celtics	62	Rockets	40	22	Celtics 4-2
1972	Lakers	69	Knicks	48	21	Lakers 4-1
1959	Celtics	52	Lakers	33	19	Celtics 4-0
1986	Celtics	67	Rockets	51	16	Celtics 4-2
1970	Knicks	60	Lakers	46	14	Knicks 4-3
2015	Warriors	67	Cavaliers	53	14	???
1960	Celtics	59	Hawks	46	13	Celtics 4-3
1965	Celtics	62	Lakers	49	13	Celtics 4-1
1975	Bullets	60	Warriors	48	12	Warriors 4-0
1976	Celtics	54	Suns	42	12	Celtics 4-2
1964	Celtics	59	Warriors	48	11	Celtics 4-1
2000	Lakers	67	Pacers	56	11	Lakers 4-2
2003	Spurs	60	Nets	49	11	Spurs 4-2
1957	Celtics	44	Hawks	34	10	Celtics 4-3
1992	Bulls	67	Trail Blazers	57	10	Bulls 4-2
1995	Magic	57	Rockets	47	10	Rockets 4-0
1999**	Spurs	37	Knicks	27	10	Spurs 4-1

** The 1999 season was shortened to 50 games by a lockout. By winning percentage, the Spurs were 200 points ahead of the Knicks, good for a 16.4-win margin over an 82-game season.


This will be the second time in the four major professional sports that teams from Oakland and Cleveland have met in the postseason. The first matchup featured the league MVP, an eventual wild-card Super Bowl champion and of course, Cleveland heartbreak.

1980 Divisional

The Cleveland Browns hadn't made the playoffs since 1972, but MVP quarterback Brian Sipe threw for 30 touchdowns and over 4,000 yards in 1980, leading the Kardiac Kids to an 11-5 record and the AFC Central title. The team earned their Kardiac Kids nickname, with 12 of their 16 games decided by seven or fewer points (they went 9-3).

The Raiders also went 11-5, but lost the tiebreaker to the Chargers and had to play Houston in the Wild Card round. They cruised to a 27-7 victory to earn a trip to Cleveland for the Divisional round. Played in sub-zero wind chill, the game was scoreless into the second quarter. It stayed that way after Don Cockroft missed a 47-yard field goal try.



Cleveland would get on the board first though, with Ron Bolton intercepting Jim Plunkett's pass and taking it 42 yards to the house for a 6-0 lead. However, the kicking troubles continued with Cockcroft missing the extra point.



Oakland answered right before halftime, scoring the go-ahead touchdown and extra point thanks to Mark van Eeghen's 1-yard scoring plunge in the final minute of the half.



The Browns took the lead in the third quarter with a pair of field goals and it could have been more, but another field goal attempt was never made due to a botched snap. Down 12-7 heading into the fourth, Oakland came back in the final period, taking the lead with an 80-yard touchdown drive. The key play was this 27-yard pass from Plunkett to Raymond Chester to set the Raiders up at the 16.



Van Eeghen converted his second 1-yard touchdown run of the game, making it 14-12 with 9:22 left.



The Raiders popped the ball away from Sipe in Cleveland territory with just over four minutes remaining and seemed poised to put the game away.



They had the ball at the 15,  but the Browns stuffed van Eeghen on 3rd-and-1 and 4th-and-inches to get the ball back with two and a half minutes to play.



Sipe hit Ozzie Newsome for 29 yards (25:30 of the video below), and Greg Pruitt for 23 (29:41). Pruitt ran for 14 more and soon the Browns were at the 13-yard line with 49 seconds left (31:30).



During a timeout, head coach Sam Rutigliano called a pass play, Red Right 88. But he told Sipe that if no one was open, "throw it into Lake Erie." Sipe looked for Newsome in the end zone, but Mike Davis intercepted it to win the game for the Raiders.



This was the first of a long string of gut-wrenching postseason losses for a city that hasn't won a sports championship since 1964. It would be followed by John Elway's Drive, Earnest Byner's Fumble, Michael Jordan's Shot, Art Modell's Move to Baltimore, Jose Mesa's blown save and LeBron James taking his talents to South Beach (but at least he came back!).

The Raiders scored another road upset against the Chargers to reach Super Bowl XV. They beat the Eagles 27-10 to become the first wild card championship team in NFL history.



San Francisco vs. Cleveland in the Postseason

For the purposes of these city playoff history pieces, I consider the Warriors and Sharks as both Oakland and San Francisco teams. Looking at the other side of the bay, the Finals will also be the second Cleveland-San Francisco playoff meeting.

The Browns and 49ers began their long franchise histories not in the NFL, but in the All-America Football Conference, which operated from 1946 to 1949. The Niners went 38-14-2 in four seasons, but finished second to the Browns each year, with Cleveland winning all four championships with a 47-4-3 record. Coach Paul Brown's dynasty was fueled by stars like QB Otto Graham, RB Marion Motley, WR Mac Speedie and K/LT Lou Groza.

The last of these titles was won in the 1949 Championship. In the only season under a four-team playoff format, the Browns and 49ers won their divisional round games to set up a showdown for the league's last title.

It was a "slippery" field and the only scoring of the first half was a 2-yard Edgar Jones touchdown run that made it 7-0 Cleveland. The big play of the day was Motley's 68-yard score that opened up a 14-0 lead. The Niners answered with a fourth-quarter touchdown, but the Browns put it away on the next drive, capping a 21-7 victory with a Dub Jones 4-yard run. Cleveland's defense bottled up the league's rushing leader Joe Perry (36 yards) and TD-pass leader Frankie Albert (108 yards).

That would be the last game in AAFC history, as the 49ers, Browns and Colts joined the NFL in a league merger. The Baltimore Colts folded after one season but reemerged two years later.

Stephen  Curry Draymond  Green Klay  Thompson Harrison  Barnes Andre  Iguodala Andrew  Bogut Shaun  Livingston Leandro  Barbosa Festus  Ezeli David  Lee Marreese  Speights Justin  Holiday James  Michael  McAdoo Brandon  Rush LeBron  James Tristan  Thompson Iman  Shumpert Kyrie  Irving Timofey  Mozgov J.R.  Smith Matthew  Dellavedova James  Jones Kevin  Love Mike  Miller Kendrick  Perkins Shawn  Marion Joe  Harris Brendan  Haywood