Bill Stoneman---1971
Though standing just 5'10", Bill
Stoneman made a giagantic
impression on Expos fans early in the
franchise's history.
Selected from the Chicago Cubs with
their 10th pick of the Expansion
Draft, Stoneman landed the No. 2
spot in the Expos' rotation.
After dropping his first two decisions,
the right-hander hurled a no-hitter on
April 17, 1969 vs. the Phillies in just
the franchise's ninth game.
Stoneman was far from perfect in the
7-0 victory, walking five batters,
including the first man he faced that
day.
The product of the University of
Idaho would go on to be the Expos'
workhorse during their infancy as he
logged more than 200 innings in
each of the franchise's first four
seasons.
Shoulder problems slowed Stoneman
down in 1973, but it was not before
he would toss the Expos' second
no-no.
Number Two came in front of the
Montreal faithful on October 2, 1972
as Stoneman no-hit the Mets in the
first game of a double-header. It
would be the first ever, Major League
no-hitter thrown in Canada.
Interestingly, Stoneman would fall on
Bill James' list of unlikely pitchers to
have thrown two no-hitters in the big
leagues. Here is a link on Rob
Neyer's site, where James discusses
his formula for no-hitters:
Rob Neyer "Expected No-hitters" by
Bill James
As noted towards the bottom of the
piece, Stoneman averaged 8.59 hits
allowed per nine innings during his
career.
In the end, Stoneman would win 54
games, while losing 85 during his
eight-year career.
And that's why baseball is in a way, a
great game... as every so often even
the most unlikely player will defy the
odds and give us a surprising
performance.
(8/2/09)
Stoneman made a giagantic
impression on Expos fans early in the
franchise's history.
Selected from the Chicago Cubs with
their 10th pick of the Expansion
Draft, Stoneman landed the No. 2
spot in the Expos' rotation.
After dropping his first two decisions,
the right-hander hurled a no-hitter on
April 17, 1969 vs. the Phillies in just
the franchise's ninth game.
Stoneman was far from perfect in the
7-0 victory, walking five batters,
including the first man he faced that
day.
The product of the University of
Idaho would go on to be the Expos'
workhorse during their infancy as he
logged more than 200 innings in
each of the franchise's first four
seasons.
Shoulder problems slowed Stoneman
down in 1973, but it was not before
he would toss the Expos' second
no-no.
Number Two came in front of the
Montreal faithful on October 2, 1972
as Stoneman no-hit the Mets in the
first game of a double-header. It
would be the first ever, Major League
no-hitter thrown in Canada.
Interestingly, Stoneman would fall on
Bill James' list of unlikely pitchers to
have thrown two no-hitters in the big
leagues. Here is a link on Rob
Neyer's site, where James discusses
his formula for no-hitters:
Rob Neyer "Expected No-hitters" by
Bill James
As noted towards the bottom of the
piece, Stoneman averaged 8.59 hits
allowed per nine innings during his
career.
In the end, Stoneman would win 54
games, while losing 85 during his
eight-year career.
And that's why baseball is in a way, a
great game... as every so often even
the most unlikely player will defy the
odds and give us a surprising
performance.
(8/2/09)
