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EMPIRE’S NETTLES PITCHES NO-HITTER!!!
BROOKLYN CLUB’S #1 PITCHES 2ND NO-NO OF 1862

BROOKLYN (Aug. 3, 1862) - Base ball fans waited nearly four years between the sport’s first No-hitter, authored by Henry Gibson on May 23 of 1858, and its second one, completed by Arthur Smith not even a week into the new season. They did not even have to wait for three months to see the third one, as Empire Club’s Harry Nettles no-hit Bedford in The Putnam Grounds on Sunday afternoon.

Nettles walked one and struck out one in the history-making effort, while the defense behind him was superb. Empire committed just one error while completing eleven ground ball outs & fifteen fly ball/bound outs.

The result was put away early, as Empire scored six runs before the end of the fourth inning. From there, all eyes of the 2,200 or so in attendance were on Empire in the field as they inched closer and closer to the historic result. The moment that scared fans the most came in the top of the eighth, when Bedford’s All-Star first baseman Julius Weiner reached on a ground ball. However, the Empire third baseman had made an errant throw and the play was ruled an error instead of a hit.

In the top of the ninth Bedford sent the bottom of the batting order to the plate, and from there three easy outs put Beford B.B.C. and Harry Nettles into the history books.