Harvey Haddix

Harvey Haddix Jr. (September 18, 1925 – January 8, 1994) was an American professional baseball pitcher and pitching coach who played in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals (1952–1956), Philadelphia Phillies (1956–57), Cincinnati Redlegs (1958), Pittsburgh Pirates (1959–1963), and Baltimore Orioles (1964–65). A three-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, the left-hander enjoyed his best season with the Cardinals.

Haddix is most notable for pitching 12 perfect innings against the Milwaukee Braves on May 26, 1959, a game often described as among the finest ever pitched in major league history. Pitching for the Pirates, he retired a record 36 batters in a row before allowing a base-runner, only to lose the game on an unearned run in the 13th inning.

In 1991, Major League Baseball changed the definition of a no-hitter to "a game in which a pitcher or pitchers complete a game of nine innings or more without allowing a hit." The revised requirement retroactively disqualified Haddix's effort, even though he had recorded more consecutive perfect innings in a single game than anyone in major league history. He was matter-of-fact in his response. "It's O.K.," he shrugged. "I know what I did."