Wise pitched, hit his way into Phillies lore

As an 18-year-old rookie in 1964, Rick Wise won his first game on June 21 at Shea Stadium in the second game of a Sunday afternoon doubleheader. No one noticed, because it followed Jim Bunning's perfect game. Seven years later, the 25-year-old Wise got notice for his right arm and big bat.

On a Wednesday night in Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium, Wise did something no one had done up to that date and that hasn't been duplicated since. He belted two homers while pitching a no-hitter. The win improved Wise's record to 8-4.

Wise's 16th win that same season came on Sept. 18 against the Chicago Cubs at Veterans Stadium. In this game, he retired 32 consecutive batters, four short of the Major League record. No Phillies pitcher has come close to Wise's single-game gem. Oh, Curt Simmons, Robin Roberts, Jim Bunning and Roy Halladay each have had games in which they retired 27 consecutive batters. Thanks to extra innings, Wise went beyond 27.

A home run leading off the second inning by catcher Frank Fernandez gave the Cubs a 3-0 lead. Wise didn't allow another baserunner until Ron Santo singled with two out in the 12th inning. Once again, Wise's bat came into play. He was 3-for-6 and drove in the winning run. With a runner on third with one out, Don Money and Ron Stone were walked intentionally to get to Wise, who followed with a walk-off single to right, a 4-3 decision.

"The best part about that game was that I fell behind, 3-0, on a two-run homer in the first and a solo home run in the second," said Wise. "I got a visit from pitching coach [Ray Rippelmeyer] and then retired 32 in a row."

Wise's pitching line: 12 innings, five hits, three runs, two earned, zero walks, 10 strikeouts. He faced 41 batters. In addition to 10 strikeouts, there were 11 ground-ball outs, six infield popups or line drives and only five fly balls to the outfield. Tim McCarver, who caught his no-hitter, was behind the plate, a game that took two hours, 59 minutes to complete. Attendance was 7,740.