Joe Adcock Dead at 71; Broke Up Longest No-Hitter

Joe Adcock, who broke up baseball’s longest no-hitter and once hit four home runs in a game, died Monday at his home in Coushatta, La. He was 71 and had Alzheimer’s disease.

Adcock hit 336 homers in a 17-year career in which he played primarily as a first baseman with the Milwaukee Braves, but he probably will be remembered more for a home run that didn’t count as one.

On May 26, 1959, Pittsburgh’s Harvey Haddix retired the first 36 Braves he faced--12 perfect innings.

In the 13th, the Braves’ Felix Mantilla reached on an error and moved to second on a sacrifice by Eddie Mathews. After Hank Aaron was walked intentionally, Adcock hit the ball out of Milwaukee’s County Stadium to end the no-hitter and win the game.

But the score was listed as 1-0 because Adcock inadvertently passed Aaron on the bases. Instead of a homer, Adcock was credited with a one-run double.

Adcock recalled the game after Haddix died in January 1994.

“He knew what he had in mind when he let the ball loose,” Adcock said. “The wind had been blowing in all night and maybe it was a freak because when I came to bat, the flag in center field was still. I was thinking he’d been keeping the ball away from me all night and maybe he’d do it again, and he did and I hit it.”

Adcock broke into the major leagues in 1950 with the Cincinnati Reds and was traded to the Braves in 1953, the team’s first year in Milwaukee. He played on the Braves’ World Series championship team in 1957 and National League pennant winner in 1958.

His best season was 1956 when he hit 38 home runs and batted .291.

“I had the pleasure of knowing Joe as a teammate and a friend for many years,” Aaron said. “I learned a lot from him as a player, but as good a player as he was, he was an even better human being.”

On July 31, 1954, Adcock hit a record-tying four home runs and also had a double for a record 18 total bases as the Braves beat the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. At the time, Adcock was the seventh player to hit four home runs in a game. Five players have done so since.

On April 29, 1953, Adcock became the only player during the New York Giants’ stay of more than a half-century at the Polo Grounds to hit a home run into the distant center-field bleachers.

In 1963, Adcock moved to the Cleveland Indians and finished his playing career after three seasons with the Angels. He had a .277 career batting average.

In 1967, Adcock managed the Indians, who finished eighth in the American League with a 75-87 record.

During his off-seasons, Adcock was a racehorse breeder and developed Red River Farms, which he continued to operate after his retirement from baseball.