A’s legend Eckersley recalls funny story from no-hitter vs. Angels originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Dennis Eckersley has plenty of stories from his Hall of Fame baseball career, including the hilarious ending to his first career no-hitter while with the then-Cleveland Indians.
On the latest episode of “All A’s,” Eckersley was asked by NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dave Stewart to describe his no-hitter against the California Angels on May 30, 1977.
“This is Memorial Day in ’77 and I’ve got it going on, I’m throwing well,” Eckersley said. “And the Angels, well they weren’t that good, they didn’t hit that well, not to take anything away from my no-no. We got one run in the first inning; Duane Kuiper got a triple of all people right?”
Eckersley then described the end of the game, which featured a humorous final out.
“So it’s 1-0 all the way, I’m punching everybody out, I walk one guy, I had it going on,” Eckersley told Stewart. “And so that last out, it’s this guy named Gill Flores, and there’s only like 15,000 people in the ballpark [because of] Memorial Day and it’s not on TV.
“So, he’s the last out and I’m chomping at the bit and the cameraman comes out of the camera well, literally, with his tripod to get a shot of the last out. And when I get ready to throw, [Flores] keeps backing out of the box and I’m like ‘What up?’ and he said he’s bothered by the camera and I said ‘Hey, he’s not here to take your picture, it’s the no-hitter.’ You can’t make this up. So, I [struck] him out.”
While he starred for the Athletics in the closer role, Eckersley began his career with the then-Indians as a starting pitcher. “Eck” spent eight seasons with the A’s, solidifying himself as the most dominant closer in the league and helping Oakland make it to three consecutive World Series from 1988-1990.