Chicago Cubs: Hippo Vaughn remains one of the best in franchise history

A double no-hitter?

More from Cubbies Crib

• Cubs starting pitching has been thriving on the North Side
• Make no mistake: the Cubs are very much about power hitters
• Cubs are giving pitcher Javier Assad a deserved shot
• Cubs: It’s time to start thinking about potential September call-ups
• Cubs: P.J. Higgins deserves to be in the lineup on a daily basis

One of the wildest experiences of Vaughn’s career came on May 2, 1917. In a routine regular season game versus the Cincinnati Reds at Weeghman Park, Vaughn squared off against former Cubs starting pitcher Fred Toney. It would be a game to remember.

The game itself went ten innings, finishing 1-0 in favor of Cincinnati, with only two total hits recorded. Vaughn and Toney each went the length, and actually, each threw no-hitters through the first nine innings. Funny enough, Vaughn faced the minimum number of hitters in the nine no-hit innings, striking out ten.

In a lousy luck tenth inning, riddled with baseball irony, it caught up to Vaughn. After allowing a one-out single to Larry Kopf, Vaughn got a fly ball for the second out. Larry Kopf was then unable to hold onto a line drive in the next at-bat, leading Kopf to scamper to third base. Hal Chase, who had hit the line drive, stole second. With runners at second and third Jim Thorpe, the All-American football player, topped one which Vaughn went after. In a moment of chaos, the Cubs catcher Art Wilson missed Vaughns throw to home plate, allowing the run to score.

In one of the best performances of all time from both sides, the Cubs would get retired in the bottom half as Toney completed the ten-inning no-hitter fantastically. To this day, it remains the only double no-hitter in Major League Baseball history.