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Virgil Trucks
Nickname(s): Fire
Born: 1919

RHP 1941-43, 45-58 Tigers , Browns, White Sox, A

Virgil Trucks's Teammates

  • Led League in k 49
  • All-Star in 1949, 54

IPW-LERA
Career 2682177-1353.39
World Series 131-03.38

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» 1952: The Odd Year of Virgil Trucks by Jonathan Brolin

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While with the Tigers in 1952, this burly Southerner tossed a pair of no-hitters against the Senators and the Yankees, joining such luminaries as Johnny Vander Meer, Allie Reynolds, and Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers to accomplish this feat in a single season. Trucks also had four no-hitters in the minors and a near-miss with the White Sox in 1954. The control pitcher returned from military service in 1945 and appeared in the World Series against the Cubs, winning 4-1. He had appeared in only one game during the regular season. After a decade in Detroit, Trucks arrived in Chicago via St. Louis in 1954. Frank Lane sent Lou Kretlow and $95,000 to Bill Veeck for Trucks and Bob Elliot. Trucks recorded eight straight victories en route to his first and only twenty-victory season. Fading after 1955, he returned to the Tigers in 1956. He wound up his career with the Yankees as a spot starter and relief man in their pennant year of 1958. (RL)
FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
» August 24, 1938: Virgil Trucks strikes out his 418th batter -- the highest season total in organized ball -- for Andalusia in an Alabama-Florida League game.

» August 2, 1942: At Detroit, the Tigers sweep a pair from the Red Sox, 8–4 and 6–2, to knock Boston out of 2nd place. Dizzy Trout wins the opener, helping himself with a 3-run home run. Virgil Trucks wins the nitecap, giving up a 9th inning home run to Ted Williams. Along with Jim Tabor, CF Dom DiMaggio has a homer in the opener, then adds an unassisted DP in the nitecap.

» May 23, 1946: The Yankees deflate Virgil Trucks with home runs in the 5th inning by DiMaggio and Nick Etten. Joe Gordon then greets reliever Hal White with the Yankees 3rd consecutive home run, and the Bombers drive over Detroit 12–6.

» September 8, 1946: In the minor leagues Bill Kennedy of Rocky Mount (Coastal Plain League) will be credited with 456 strikeouts, breaking the former mark of 418 set by Virgil Trucks in the Alabama-Florida League in 1938.

» May 11, 1947: The Tigers Dizzy Trout and Virgil Trucks each toss a three hit victory over the White Sox, winning 10–0 and 6–1. The losses drop the Sox out if a virtual tie for first down to 5th. George Kell has three hits, including a home run, and four runs in the opener, while Hoot Evers and Pat Mullin bang homers in game 2.

» May 30, 1947: Before a crowd of 56,367, the first-place Tigers split a pair with the Browns to move to three games ahead of Cleveland. Detroit wins the lidlifter, 2–1 as Hal Newhouser scatters five hits, but Nelson Potter tops Virgil Trucks, 8–3, to take the nitecap. Tiger rookie Johnny McHale accounts for all three runs in game two with a pair of homers.

» July 17, 1948: In a rare loss, the Tigers Virgil Trucks stops the Red Sox, 3–1. Ellis Kinder takes the loss.

» August 14, 1948: Rookie George Vico drives in seven runs to pace the Tigers to a 10–3 win over the Browns. Vico is one better than a cycle, collecting two doubles, a triple and homer to back Virgil Trucks' sparkling one-hit relief effort over 6+ innings.

» May 4, 1949: A day after the two teams played to a 13-inning, 14-14 tie, the Tigers beat the Red Sox, 5–1, behind Virgil Trucks 3-hitter. The Tigers shell Mickey Harris for 14 hits in five 2/3 innings.

» May 19, 1950: The Tigers send 14 batters to the plate and score 10 runs in the 5th to beat the Athletics, 14–8. George Kell and Vic Wertz each have two hits in the frame. Tigers ace Virgil Trucks, a 19-game winner in 1949, hurts his arm and is lost for the season. Fred Hutchinson relieves Trucks in the 3rd and picks up the win.

» September 30, 1951: The Tigers drive over the slumping Tribe, 2–1, behind Virgil Trucks 13 win of the year.

» May 15, 1952: After pitching four no-hitters in the minors, 33-year-old Virgil "Fire" Trucks of Detroit pitches his first in the ML, a 1–0 blanking of the Senators. Vic Wertz's dramatic two-out home run in the 9th off Bob Porterfield wins the game at Briggs Stadium.

» May 20, 1952: In his first start following his no-hitter, Detroit's Virgil Trucks and Dick Littlefield combine to two-hit the Athletics, 5–1.

» July 22, 1952: Detroit's Virgil Trucks gives up one hit in beating Washington 1-0.

» August 6, 1952: St. Louis Browns Satchel Paige, 46, beats Virgil "Fire" Trucks 1-0 in 12 innings.

» August 25, 1952: In a 1-0 win over the Yankees in Yankee Stadium, Virgil Trucks of the Detroit Tigers pitches his second no-hitter of the season. The no-hitter is in doubt for three innings when a play made by SS Johnny Pesky in the third inning is under debate. The official scorer, John Drebinger, records it as an error when Pesky has trouble getting a ball hit by Phil Rizzuto out of his glove. Dan Daniel of The New York World Telegram convinces Drebinger that it cannot be ruled an error because the ball was stuck in the fielder's glove, and Rizzuto is awarded a hit. In the sixth inning, with Trucks not having given up another hit, Drebinger calls Pesky in the dugout from the press box, and the SS says that he should be given the error rather than Rizzuto the hit. The call is changed again, and Trucks's no-hitter is preserved. Trucks's record is now 5-15.

» December 4, 1952: Detroit trades P Virgil Trucks, who tossed two no-hitters during the year, along with P Hal White and OF Johnny Groth, to the Browns in exchange for 2B Owen Friend, OF Bob Nieman, and OF/C J.W. Porter.

» June 14, 1953: White Sox hurlers Billy Pierce and Sandy Consuegra throw shutouts at the Red Sox in a doubleheader, winning 6-0 and 1­0. Pierce's gem is a 2-hitter. Chicago also picks up two players from the Browns, getting veterans 3B Bob Elliott and P Virgil Trucks for P Lou Kretlow, C Darrell Johnson, and $75,000. St. Louis had obtained Trucks only six months ago from Detroit.

» April 15, 1954: The Orioles Clint Courtney hits the first home run in Memorial Stadium. Following a 90-minute parade, they draw an Opening Day record crowd of 46,354 in a 3–1 afternoon win against the White Sox. Bob Turley strikes out nine in besting Virgil Trucks. Vern Stephens and Clint Courtney homer for the O's.

» May 1, 1954: Red Sox IF Billy Goodman's single in the 6th spoils Virgil Trucks's bid for another no-hitter. Trucks, now with the White Sox, wins 3–0.

» May 25, 1954: Billy Pierce and Virgil Trucks combine to give the White Sox a 4–2 win over the Indians, and stop Cleveland's 11-game win streak. Bob Lemon takes the loss. Cleveland's Al Smith steals a base off Sherman Lollar, the last base runner to swipe one this year. The Sox catcher will throw out the next 18 base runners who try.

» December 1, 1955: The Tigers bring back P Virgil Trucks in a trade with the White Sox for 3B Bubba Phillips.

» December 3, 1956: The Tigers send pitchers Ned Garver, Gene Host, and Virgil Trucks, 1B Wayne Belardi and $20,000 to the Athletics for pitchers Bill Harrington, Jack Crimian, 1B Eddie Robinson, and 3B Jim Finigan.

» June 15, 1958: On the last day of trading, the Yanks send 1954 Rookie of the Year P Bob Grim and OF/1B Harry "Suitcase" Simpson to the Athletics for P Virgil Trucks and RHP Duke Maas. The Tigers trade P Bob Shaw and 1B Ray Boone to the White Sox for OF Tito Francona and P Bill Fischer.

» September 14, 1958: The Yankees win their 24th pennant, and 9th under Casey Stengel, winning Game One against the A's, 5–3. This ties Casey for first with Connie Mack for the most American League pennants won. New York completes the sweep with a 12–7, 14-inning win in game 2. Virgil Trucks allows two hits over the last six innings for the win.

» April 27, 1973: In 50-degree Detroit weather, Royals rookie Steve Busby no-hits the Tigers 3–0. It is the first Royals no-hitter, and the first in Tiger Stadium since Virgil Trucks's in 1952. Busby is the first no-hit game pitcher not to bat.