Pitched no-hitter, helped Mets win title

Don Cardwell, 72, who pitched a no-hitter for the Chicago Cubs and helped the New York Mets win the 1969 World Series, died Monday, according to a funeral home spokesman in Winston-Salem, N.C. The cause of death was not reported.

Cardwell pitched for five major league teams from 1957 to 1970. He finished with 102 wins, 138 losses and a 3.92 earned run average. A right-hander, Caldwell threw 17 shutouts and earned seven saves.

A native of Winston-Salem, Cardwell signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1954. He debuted three years later and struggled for three years with the Phillies, winning 16 games while losing 24 as a spot starter.

But on May 15, 1960, two days after being traded to the Cubs, Cardwell no-hit the St. Louis Cardinals in the second game of a doubleheader at Wrigley Field. It was believed to be the first no-hitter ever thrown by a pitcher in his first start with a new team.

His best season with the Cubs was 1961, when he went 15-14 with a 3.82 ERA and a career-high 156 strikeouts. He was traded to the Cardinals the next year, but was dealt to Pittsburgh a month later without ever playing for St. Louis.

He was traded to the Mets in 1966 and in 1969 was part of the New York rotation that included Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Gary Gentry. Cardwell pitched one inning in the World Series as the Mets upset the Baltimore Orioles. Cardwell ended his career with the Atlanta Braves in 1970.