September 2, 1972: The Chicago Cubs host the San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Milt Pappas is the Cubs' starting pitcher, entering the game with a record of 11-7. Although a decent pitcher, he is best known for being the pitcher that the Cincinnati Reds traded their best player, Frank Robinson, for following the 1965 season. In the past 7 years, that trade had already gone down in history as one of baseball's worst trades. The events of this game did not change that.
The Cubs granted Pappas a quick lead, scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning. They made it 4-0 in the 3rd. In the 8th, they extended it to 8-0. The result of the game was no longer in doubt. But Pappas inched closer and closer to baseball history. In the 8th inning, he made a fine play on a comebacker hit by Derrel Thomas for the final out. It was 24 men up 24 men down.
Johnny Jeter, no relation to Derek, led off the top of the 9th inning, and he hit a line shot to left-center field, where future Hall-of-Famer Billy Williams caught it. Fred Kendall, father of future All-Star Jason Kendall, grounded to shortstop, and Don Kessinger threw him out.
The batter was Larry Stahl, pinch-hitting for Al Severinsen, who had relieved Padre starter Mike Caldwell. He ran the count full. Pappas threw a pitch that was a little outside. Stahl checked his swing, but appeared to go around. It should have been strike 3, the last out, a no-hitter and a perfect game for Pappas.
The home plate umpire was Bruce Froemming, in only his 2nd season in the major leagues. A native of Milwaukee, a few days away from his 33rd birthday, he called the pitch a ball, and sent Stahl to 1st base. The perfect game was ruined.
Garry Jestadt was the next batter. He popped up, and 2nd baseman Carmen Fanzone caught it for the final out. Pappas had his no-hitter. But this game went into the books as a perfect game ruined on a walk to the 27th and, potentially, last batter. It remains the only such game in baseball history: 27th men have reached on hits, and on errors, but only this one due to a base on balls.
After the game, Pappas approached Froemming, and appealed to his ego. He reminded Froemming of how few perfect games had been pitched -- 10 at that point -- and thus how few umpires had called them. Froemming told Pappas, "Milt, if I'd called that pitch a strike, I'd never be able to live with myself." Pappas forgot the high road and yelled, "How do you live with yourself with all the other lousy calls you make?"
Pappas would finish his career with a fine record of 209 wins and 164 losses, a 3.40 ERA, and a 1.225 WHIP. He deserved better than to be remembered only as the man acquired in the Frank Robinson trade. Certainly, he deserved that perfect game. He is still remembered for having pitched a no-hitter for the Cubs, something that Burt Hooton had done the season before, and Ken Holtzman had done 1 and 3 seasons before. Pappas died in 2016, shortly after the 50th Anniversary of the infamous trade.
Froemming went on to umpire for a record 37 years (since broken), and became one of the worst ever. In Philadelphia, he is notorious for a call at 1st base that cost the Phillies an out that would have clinched the 1977 National League Pennant, leading to the Los Angeles Dodgers winning the Pennant. Froemming's swan song was the 2007 American League Division Series between the Yankees and the Cleveland Indians, when he, as crew chief, refused to stop the game until the Lake Erie Midges left.
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September 2, 1972 was a Saturday. These other Major League Baseball games were played:
* The New York Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox, 2-1 at Yankee Stadium. Steve Kline outpitched Tom Bradley. Bernie Allen hit a home run. Thurman Munson went 1-for-3 with the team's other RBI.
* The New York Mets beat the Houston Astros, 11-8 at the Astrodome in Houston. Ken Boswell hit a home run for the Mets. Willie Mays appeared only as a defensive replacement, and did not come to bat.
* The Boston Red Sox beat the Kansas City Royals, 5-3 at Fenway Park in Boston. Carl Yastrzemski went 0-for-3, with an RBI on a sacrifice fly.
* A doubleheader was split at Atlanta Stadium (later renamed Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium). The Atlanta Braves won the opener, 10-7. The Philadelphia Phillies won the nightcap, 3-0. Dave Downs pitched an 8-0 shutout. It was 1 of 13 shutouts pitched by the Phillies that year, 8 of which were pitched by Steve Carlton.
Over the 2 games, Hank Aaron went 4-for-8 with a walk and 4 RBIs, including hitting the 666th and 667th home runs of his career. Ten days later, Mike Schmidt would make his major league debut for the Phils.
* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the San Francisco Giants, 6-3 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Roberto Clemente went 2-for-3 with 2 walks, a home run, and 3 RBIs. It was the 239th home run of his career. He would hit 1 more.
* The Montreal Expos beat the Cincinnati Reds, 7-2 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Pete Rose and Johnny Bench both went 0-for-4, with Rose adding a walk.
* The Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins, 5-3 at Metropolitan stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Steve Dunning was the winning pitcher, and helped his own cause with a 2-run home run. Harmon Killebrew went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Rod Carew went 2-for-5.
* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-1 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Lou Brock went 0-for-3. Frank Robinson, in his only season with the Dodgers, did not enter the game.
* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Texas Rangers, 6-2 at Arlington Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.
* The California Angels beat the Baltimore Orioles, 2-0 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium). Rudy May pitched a 3-hit shutout to beat Jim Palmer. Brooks Robinson went 1-for-4.
* And the Detroit Tigers beat the Oakland Athletics, 3-1 at the Oakland Coliseum. Bill Freehan and Mickey Stanley hit home runs in the top of the 11th inning, off Dave Hamilton, who blew the game for Vida Blue. Fred Scherman was the winning pitcher, in relief of Mickey Lolich. Al Kaline went 2-for-5. Reggie Jackson went 1-for-4.
This was also the day of Game 1 of the "Summit Series," and the Soviet Union shocked Canada, 7-3 at the Montreal Forum.
It was the week before the college football season opened in America. In English soccer, it was a battle of London teams, and Arsenal and Chelsea played to a 1-1 draw at Highbury.
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