Johnny Vander Meer

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Lore & Background

Vander Meer's path to stardom was not immediate. Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1933, he struggled initially with the Dayton Ducks and Scranton Miners before finding stability with the Nashville Volunteers and Durham Bulls, where manager Johnny Gooch helped tame his wildness. His major league debut came on April 22, 1937, but it was the following year that history was made. On June 15, 1938, in the first night game at Ebbets Field, he secured his second straight no-hitter against the Dodgers. That same season, he started for the National League in the All-Star Game at Crosley Field, pitching three scoreless innings to help secure a 4–1 victory. Despite a severe case of boils that hospitalized him for nearly a month late in 1938, The Sporting News named him their MLB Player of the Year.

In Their Own Story

In June 1940, with the Reds fighting for the pennant, Vander Meer delivered a crucial performance against Philadelphia. After pitching 12 innings to secure a win on September 18 that clinched the National League title, he contributed offensively in the 13th inning. He hit a double, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt, and scored the winning run on a sacrifice fly by Ival Goodman, though the sacrifice fly was not yet an official statistic. During the 1940 World Series against the Detroit Tigers, he made his only postseason appearance in Game 5, pitching three scoreless innings despite the Reds trailing 7–0 before they eventually lost that game but won the series in seven. Later, on March 3, 1944, he joined the United States Navy, serving until December 1945. He returned to the majors in 1946 and pitched his final no-hitter in 1952 for the Tulsa Oilers against the Beaumont Roughnecks, fourteen years after his historic consecutive no-hit streak.

Reader's Guide

Johnny Vander Meer began his professional journey with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1933 but found his stride after being traded to the Cincinnati Reds affiliate system. His major league career spanned 13 seasons, primarily with the Reds from 1937 through 1940 and again from 1946 to 1950. A left-handed pitcher, he compiled a record of 119–121 with 1,294 strikeouts and a 3.44 ERA over 2,104+2⁄3 innings. His peak years included leading the National League in strikeouts three times consecutively (1941–1943) and recording a career-high 18 wins in 1942. After leaving the Reds, he played briefly for the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians before returning to the minors until age 40. He managed in the Reds organization for ten seasons after retiring as a player and was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1958.

Did You Know?

• Vander Meer was nicknamed 'The Dutch Master' due to his heritage and 'Double No-Hit' after his historic feat.
• He spent nearly a month in the hospital treating boils late in the 1938 season, yet still won MLB Player of the Year from The Sporting News.
• In September 1940, he hit a double, advanced on a bunt, and scored the pennant-clinching run in extra innings against Philadelphia.
• He pitched one more no-hitter in 1952 for the Tulsa Oilers, fourteen years after his consecutive no-hit streak in 1938.
• Vandermeer lost two years of his career to military service, joining the Navy on March 3, 1944, and returning in December 1945.