On This Date in Sports August 5, 1973: Niekro No-No
The San Diego Padres knuckle under to the Atlanta Braves, losing 9-0, the same score as a forfeit at Fulton County Stadium, as they are no-hit by Phil Niekro. It is the third time the Padres have been on the wrong end of a No-Hitter since 1970. Ralph Garr playing in place of Hank Aaron, sparks the Braves' offense scoring three runs.
Born on April 1, 1939, in Blaine, Ohio, Phil Niekro was no fool, but his knuckleball often made opposing hitters look foolish. After toiling in the minors for several years, Niekro made his debut with the Milwaukee Braves in 1964. After spending most of his first three seasons in the bullpen, Phil Niekro got his chance to start in 1967 after the team moved to Atlanta. That season he had the lowest ERA in the National League while posting a record of 11-9.
After Phil Niekro retired the Padres in order in the first, Ralph Garr led off with a double against Steve Arlin and scored the game’s first run on a sacrifice fly by Darrell Evans. The Padres got the first base runner in the third when Rich Morales reached on an error by Braves shortstop Marty Perez, but Niekro quickly worked around the mistake as Atlanta’s bats went to work in the bottom of the inning. Garr led off with a single stole second and scored his second run ahead of Mike Lum on a two-run single by Dusty Baker. In the fourth inning, Dave Roberts reached base on an error by Evans, but Knucksie quickly worked around it again as Ralph Garr scored his fourth run in the bottom of the inning after a two-out double and an RBI single by Lum. Unfortunately, Garr was injured while scoring and replaced by Sonny Jackson in right field.
Phil Niekro continued to make the Padres feel like they were eating Jell-O with chopsticks. The Braves put the game out of reach with four runs in the sixth, as Paul Cassanova led off with an inside-the-park home run. They added another run on Dave Roberts' error and two more runs on a hit by Frank Tepedino. The Braves capped the scoring in the eighth when Darrell Evans scored on a sac fly by Chuck Goggin. In the ninth, with history on the line, Phil Niekro struck out Roberts and got Nate Colbert to bounce out to first, while Cito Gaston ended the game with a grounder to third.
It would be the only No-Hitter of Phil Niekro’s Hall of Fame career. It was the third time the Padres have been No-Hit in their short history. San Diego was on the wrong end of history ten times before Joey Musgrove tossed a No-Hitter in 2021.