Final Out
A Magical Evening
Carlton Fisk hit a flyball to left field for the final out
It was Thursday September 29, 1983. A 22-year old boy from Fullerton, California rolled out of bed thinking it was going to be a normal day at the ballpark. The boy’s name is Mike Warren, and at the time he was a rookie pitcher for the Oakland Athletics.
Warren’s professional career began when he was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1979. He was a 12th round pick out of Fullerton Union High School. Warren played a few seasons in the Tigers minor league system, but was released by the organization before making it to the majors. After his release Warren signed with Oakland, then picked up by Milwaukee and eventually traded back to Oakland. Talk about frequent flyer miles.
Warren was now a starting pitcher for the Oakland Athletics and was slated to start that evening against the Chicago White Sox.
The game started out business as usual with Rudy Law grounding out to the 2nd baseman. Warren cruised through the first inning.
Fast forward to the bottom of the 6th, Rudy Law made the last out and you could start smelling something in the air. A no-hitter perhaps? However, those words were never said aloud, baseball superstitions prohibited that.
In the 8th inning things became more nerve wracking when Mike Squires came up to the plate and crushed the ball to right field. Oakland A’s outfielder Mike Davis thought it was a home run at first, but was able to successfully catch the ball on the warning track. Mike Warren said if it was a day game that ball would have been gone. “There’s so much luck going into these games,” Warren said.
The tension was mounting as the game approached the 9th inning. Warren walked the first batter, Jerry Hairston, but his nerves were unaffected. He would later say he still knew he had the no-hitter in the bag; that's lots of confidence from a 22-year old rookie. The second batter Greg Walker flew out to centerfield, followed by Rudy Law striking out.
With 2 outs in the 9th inning Warren was still hanging on to a no-hitter. Stepping to the plate next was All-Star, and future hall of famer, Carlton Fisk. The 9,000 fans in attendance became restless as nerves reached an all time high. But Mike Warren, with ice in his veins, got Fisk to fly out to left fielder Rickey Henderson officially becoming the 13th rookie to pitch a no-hitter in a 3-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
The celebration began as the Oakland players came charging out of the dugout. Mike Heath and Wayne Gross were the first to hug Warren. Later Warren commented, “we barely knew each other,” which made the celebration all the more rewarding.
Mike Warren developed control issues and injuries which led to his early retirement. Warren went 9-13 in 27 career starts
Mike Warren
Born: March 26, 1961
Location: Inglewood, California
Debut: June 12, 1983
Final Game: July 2, 1985
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Fun Facts!
MLB Attendance Leaders
1980 - Los Angeles Dodgers
Attendance: 3,249,287
Average: 39,625
1981 - Los Angeles Dodgers
Attendance: 2,381,292
Average: 42,523
1982 - Los Angeles Dodgers
Attendance: 3,608,881
Average: 44,554
1983 - Los Angeles Dodgers
Attendance: 3,510,313
Average: 43,879
1984 - Los Angeles Dodgers
Attendance: 3,134,824
Average:38,702
1985 - Los Angeles Dodgers
Attendance: 3,264,593
Average:40,304
1986 - Los Angeles Dodgers
Attendance: 3,023,208
Average: 37,324
1987 St. Louis Cardinals
Attendance: 3,072,122
Average 37,927
1988 New York Mets
Attendance: 3,055,445
Average 38,193
1989 Toronto Blue Jays
Attendance: 3,375,883
Average 41,678