Johnny Vander Meer

The only pitcher in MLB history to throw two consecutive no-hitters.

John Samuel Vander Meer (November 2, 1914 – October 6, 1997) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher, most prominently as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, where he became the only pitcher in Major League Baseball history to throw two consecutive no-hitters, an accomplishment which has long been considered to be impossible to replicate. He was a member of the Reds’ 1940 World Series winning team. After the impressive start to his major league career, he experienced problems controlling the accuracy of his pitching, and his later career was marked by inconsistent performances. During his career he was nicknamed "The Dutch Master" and "Double No-Hit".

Quick Facts

Position: Pitcher
Bats: Switch
Throws: Left
Born: 2 November 1914
Birthplace: Prospect Park, New Jersey, U.S.
Died: 6 October 1997
Place of death: Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Debut league: MLB

Lore & Background

Born in Prospect Park, New Jersey, he moved with his family to Midland Park, New Jersey in 1918. He had an inauspicious start to his professional baseball career. He was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1933 and assigned to the Dayton Ducks. Dayton then sold his contract to a Boston Bees minor league affiliate, the Scranton Miners of the New York–Pennsylvania League.

The Miners found his playing ability to be lacking and sent him to the Cincinnati Reds affiliate, the Nashville Volunteers, in a trade for Tiny Chaplin. From Nashville, he was sent to the Durham Bulls, where the Bulls manager and catcher, Johnny Gooch, was credited with helping control the wildness of Vander Meer's pitching. In 1936, he posted a record of 19 wins against six losses for Durham. Vander Meer made his major league debut with the Cincinnati Reds on April 22, 1937, at the age of 22.

He went 3–4 before being sent back to the minor leagues with the Syracuse Chiefs for most of the season when the Reds recalled him in September. The following year on June 11, 1938, Vander Meer pitched a no-hitter against the Boston Bees. Four days later against the Brooklyn Dodgers in what was the first night game ever held at Ebbets Field, he threw another no-hitter, becoming the first and thus far only player in major league history to throw two straight no-hitters.

He was nicknamed "The Dutch Master" due to his Dutch heritage, and after the no-hitters was also nicknamed "Two No-Hit". Vander Meer's performance earned him the role as the starting pitcher for the National League team in the 1938 All-Star game held at Cincinnati's Crosley Field. The American League team – having won four of the previous five All-Star games – was favored to win the game, but Vander Meer pitched three scoreless innings and allowed only one hit, as the National League went on to win 4–1.

He ended the season with a 15–10 record and a 3.12 earned run average for the fourth-place Reds. He might have won more games, but spent nearly a month in the hospital being treated for boils late in the season. Following the season, The Sporting News named Vander Meer their MLB Player of the Year for 1938. After his impressive rookie season, Vander Meer had a disappointing 1939 season, when he fell ill during spring training, and then suffered an injury when he slipped on a wet pitching mound in Pittsburgh.

Reader's Guide

A four-time All-Star, Vander Meer compiled a 119–121 record with 1,294 strikeouts and a 3.44 ERA in innings over a 13-year Major League career. He had 29 career shutouts, ranking third on the Reds franchise list. His 1,251 strikeouts with the Reds were the team record at the time of his retirement in 1951. Along with Dizzy Dean (1932–1935), Warren Spahn (1949–1952), Randy Johnson (1999–2002), Tim Lincecum (2008–2010), and Max Scherzer (2016–2018), Vander Meer is one of only six NL pitchers since 1930 to lead the league in strikeouts in three straight seasons (1941–1943).

Did You Know?

He served in the United States Navy during World War II, losing two years of his major league career.
In 1952, 14 years after his consecutive no-hitters, he pitched a no-hitter in the minor leagues for the Tulsa Oilers.