Rick Wise

Lore & Background

Wise was born in Jackson, Michigan, and grew up in Portland, Oregon, where he led his Rose City Little League team to the Little League World Series in 1958. He attended Madison High School in Portland. He debuted for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1964 at age 18, his second professional season. His first major league win came on June 21, 1964, in the second game of a doubleheader, beating the New York Mets 8–2; the first game that day was Jim Bunning's perfect game. Wise was the last player from the 1964 Phillies team to be active in the majors, pitching two innings of relief for the Padres on April 10, 1982. He spent all of 1965 and early 1966 in the minors before making the majors for good. In 1971, he won 17 games with a 2.88 ERA for a last-place Phillies team and was named to his first All-Star Game. On June 23, 1971, he no-hit the Cincinnati Reds 4–0 at Riverfront Stadium, overcoming the flu; a sixth-inning walk to Dave Concepcion denied him a perfect game. He hit two home runs in that game, joining Wes Ferrell, Jim Tobin, and Earl Wilson as the only pitchers to throw a no-hitter and hit a home run in the same game. On August 28, 1971, he hit two home runs against the San Francisco Giants. On September 18, 1971, he retired 32 batters in a row, four shy of Harvey Haddix's major league record, and drove in the winning run in the 12th inning. After the 1971 season, he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Steve Carlton. Wise won 32 games in two seasons with the Cardinals. On June 13, 1973, he nearly no-hit the Reds again, but Joe Morgan singled with one out in the ninth. On October 26, 1973, he was traded with Bernie Carbo from the Cardinals to the Boston Red Sox for Reggie Smith and Ken Tatum. In 1975, he won 19 games for the Red Sox. On July 2, 1975, he had another no-hitter broken up against the Milwaukee Brewers when George Scott homered with two out in the ninth. He won his only start in the 1975 ALCS against Oakland and was the relief pitcher of record in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series when Carlton Fisk hit a walk-off home run. On June 30, 1976, he was perfect against the Orioles until Paul Blair singled to start the sixth; that was the only hit he allowed in a 2–0 win. On March 30, 1978, he was traded by the Red Sox with Ted Cox, Bo Díaz, and Mike Paxton to the Cleveland Indians for Fred Kendall and Dennis Eckersley. He led the AL in losses in 1

In Their Own Story

The humidity hung heavy over Connie Mack Stadium on a sweltering July afternoon in 1970. The crowd was sparse, the noise of the city filtering through the open-air dome, but inside the dugout, Rick Wise stood tall. He adjusted his cap, gripping the baseball with familiar precision. There was no bullpen to save him; there was only him against a lineup hungry for a hit. With a deep breath, he stepped onto the rubber, eyes locked on home plate, ready to face another batter in what would become one of his many marathon outings that defined an era.

Reader's Guide

In an 18-year career, Wise posted a 188–181 record with 1,647 strikeouts and a 3.69 ERA in 3,127 innings pitched. He pitched 30 shutouts. He was the first player to record a win over all 26 major league teams that existed before the 1993 expansion. As a hitter, he hit 15 home runs, with a season-high of six in 1971, and batted .195 (130-668) with 60 runs and 66 RBI. Defensively, he committed only 13 errors in 723 total chances for a .982 fielding percentage. After his playing career, he was a pitching coach for the 1985 and 1986 Madison Muskies (Single A affiliate of the Oakland A's), the Single-A Auburn Astros in 1988 and 1989, the 1991 New Britain Red Sox of the Eastern League, and the Lancaster Barnstormers in 2005, helping them to an Atlantic League championship in 2006. He was promoted to interim manager of the Barnstormers in July 2007 after Frank Klebe was fired, then returned to pitching coach duties when Von Hayes was named manager for 2008. He retired from coaching after the 2008 season.

Did You Know?

• Wise pitched a no-hitter on June 23, 1971, and also hit two home runs in that game.
• He is one of only four pitchers to throw a no-hitter and hit a home run in the same game.
• Wise was the last active player from the 1964 Philadelphia Phillies team, pitching his final game in 1982.
• He was the first player to record a win over all 26 major league teams that existed before the 1993 expansion.
• Wise played in both the Little League World Series (1958) and the Major League World Series (1975).