[clydepepper]

They used to be more common place 'way back when', but as the game changed so did their regularity.


I have a book titled, 'Pitched Battle: 35 of Baseball's Greatest Duels from the Mound'.

When I think of Great Pitching Duels, the first one that comes to mind is Game 7 of the 1991 World Series - two great pitchers deciding the World Championship! - though, technically, Smoltz did not finish the game and the winning and only run was scored off his reliever...it still stands alone, IMO, because of what was at stake.


I just purchased a lithograph of one of the runner-ups: July 3, 1963 in which Juan Marichal and Warren Spahn dueled for 15 scoreless innings at Candlestick before Willie Mays ended it with a one-out homer in the bottom of the 16th.


Two years later, the Giants' Bob Henley pitched a 1-hitter vs. the Dodgers the same day Sandy Koufax authored his perfect game.

WaJo vs. Smoky Joe in 1912, Toney vs. Vaughn in 1917 and Harvey Haddix's 13-inning almost perfect game are among the others mentioned in this book.


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