Carl Furillo Almost Pitched a No-Hitter From the Outfield

Fernando Valenzuela and Stan Javier will attest that an outfielder can keep a no-hitter alive with a quick jump and a running catch. But Dodger folklore includes a moment when an outfielder kept one going with his arm.

In a story on the great throwing arms of outfielders in baseball history and those of today, Steve Marcus of Newsday writes:

“Aug. 27, 1951. Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca allowed what should have been his first hit of the game--a one-hop liner to right by Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Mel Queen. But right fielder Carl Furillo charged the ball and gunned it to first in time to nail Queen. The no-hitter lasted until the ninth when Branca gave up two hits.

“In the next morning’s newspaper, Dick Young wrote, ‘The two fine Italian arms of Branca and Furillo had a no-hitter running for eight innings.’ ”

Add no-hitters: The Times of London, noting that Friday was the first time pitchers in both the American and National Leagues had thrown no-hitters on the same day, made a game attempt at explaining the event’s significance: “Strictly speaking, a no-hitter does not mean that no opponents have hit the ball. It means that no batter has reached first base, except, of course, those who walk. If you feel a little confused, please join the club. Neverthless, a no-hitter is a considerable achievement.”

Trivia time: In the last five years, what university has produced the most choices in the first three rounds of the NFL draft?

Mismatched M’s: According to Larry LaRue of the Tacoma Morning News-Tribune, in the midst of Friday night’s 22-minute brawl between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Seattle Mariners, Pete O’Brien of the Mariners said to Dave Parker of the Brewers, “Oh, hell, how did I get matched up with you?”

Down time: FIFA, the governing body of world soccer, is concerned that delays for fouls, placing the ball for free kicks and various other time-killing tactics are substantially reducing the actual playing time of World Cup matches.

FIFA’s study of matches played before Saturday showed that the 1-1 draw between England and Ireland was the shortest, just 49 minutes of real playing time out of the regulation 90 minutes.

After England-Ireland came Austria-Czechoslovakia and Brazil-Argentina, both with 51 minutes of action. Romania’s 2-0 victory over the Soviet Union had the most action, 67 minutes.

Prepare for takeoff: Each time Bruce Coslet, the new coach of the New York Jets, has a career record with the team above the .500 level, he’ll be able to say he’s at least one up on every other coach in Jet history.

Since the franchise began in 1960, none of its previous nine coaches has left with a winning record. The first, Sammy Baugh, came the closest. He was 14-14 in 1960-61.

And despite Weeb Ewbank’s seasons with Joe Namath, which included a victory in Super Bowl III, his record with the Jets (1963-73) was 73-78-6.

Trivia answer: Miami, with 22.

Quotebook: Washington Bullet Coach Wes Unseld, on whether he would put second-round draft pick Greg Foster in the same category as Manute Bol when Bol was a rookie: “No. He can play basketball.”