Just a couple of weeks into the start of the 1984 season, the California Angels found themselves down a starting pitcher with the loss of
Dick Ruthven to a torn Ulnar Collateral Ligament. Forced to sign a free agent, the team settled on journeyman starter
Jim Slaton.
Slaton had last pitched for the Brewers in 1982, having gone 0-3 with a 5.76 ERA over 50 innings, that included 3 starts. That's right, he sat out the entire 1983 season as a free agent.
So with the injury to Ruthven the Angels came calling. On the day he signed a minor league deal with the team, the team made him the starter on the road against Oakland.
The A's lineup this day looked like this:
Tony Fernandez - SS
Enos Cabell - 1B
Rickey Henderson - LF
Mike Davis - CF
Wayne Gross - 3B
Tony Phillips - 2B
Larry Herndon - DH
Mike Heath - C
Doug Loman - RF
On the mound was 1983 ROY winner and future stud closer, Jeff Russell.
The Angels got to Russell early with 2 in each of the first 3 innings. Meanwhile, Slaton was perfect through 3.
The first runner for the A's didn't reach until the 5th when Slaton walked Gross and Phillips back to back, then got Herndon to ground into the double play. The A's made him work for it in the 8th and 9th but they still couldn't crack the old vet.
PH Darrell Brown flew out to right field in the bottom of the 9th to finish the game, and give Jim Slaton, the 33-yo, listed as a middle reliever, 111-123 career record, sat out all of baseball the year before, signed and pitched on the same day, the first no-hitter of 1984.
The next day, the Mets' Mike Scott, would face one over the minimum and get the second no-hitter of the year against a Cub lineup that was:
Ryne Sandberg - 3B
Kirby Puckett - CF
Mell Hall - LF
Leon Durham - RF
Tim Teuful - 2B
Pat Tabler - 1B
Butch Wyneger - C
Scott Fletcher - SS
Dicke Noles - P