Vernon Bickford

Vernon Bickford was a right-handed pitcher who played in the major leagues from 1948 to 1954, primarily with the Boston and Milwaukee Braves and briefly with the Baltimore Orioles in his final season. Over seven seasons he compiled a record of 66 wins and 57 losses with a 3.71 earned run average and 450 strikeouts. He was part of a Braves rotation that included Warren Spahn and Johnny Sain during Boston's run to the 1948 National League pennant. Bickford was selected to the All-Star Game in 1949. His most productive year came in 1950, when he led the National League in complete games with 27, games started with 39, and innings pitched with 311.2. On August 11, 1950, he threw a no-hitter against the Brooklyn Dodgers, winning 7-0; it was the first no-hitter in the major leagues since Rex Barney's in 1948. A series of arm injuries, including a broken finger, bone spurs, and a pinched nerve that required elbow surgery, shortened his career, and he made his last major league appearance in 1954.