On May 26, 1959, Pirates pitcher Harvey Haddix was taking a perfect game into the 13th inning against the Milwaukee Braves. Unfortunately for Haddix, however, Braves pitcher Lew Burdette was also pitching a shutout that day. Haddix’s perfect game ended in the bottom of the 13th when Milwaukee’s lead-off batter, Félix Mantilla, reached on a fielding error. Eddie Mathews’s sacrifice bunt advanced Mantilla to second, and Hank Aaron was given first on an intentional walk. Joe Adcock then ended the no-hitter with what first appeared to be a home run, but was later ruled to be a double by National League president Warren Giles.
In spite of the heart-breaking conclusion, Haddix’s 13-inning show continues to be recognized as one of the greatest pitching performances of all time. He even managed to get a song written about him. The Baseball Project laments Haddix’s poor luck through this tune, in which they also manage to list off every other pitcher who has gone down in history with a perfect game (up to March 2011, at least).
