Blake Green No-Hits the Winter Haven Red Sox

Cocoa 3 Winter Haven 0

May 14, 1972

Blake Green had everything his way Sunday night. Green, a tall righthander for the Cocoa Astros bothered by control problems this year, found the groove and pitched a no-hitter, giving the Astros a 3 - 0 Florida State League victory over Winter Haven.

Showing excellent control and a live fastball, the 21-year old Californian struck out 14 and walked only two. Going into the game, Green had a fair (!) 3.24 earned run average and had won only one game in four. He had allowed nine runs in 25 innings pitched and had given up 21 hits.

The two walks came in the second and fourth innings, each time to Winter Haven third baseman Mike Rafferty. Green struck out the side in the sixth inning and recorded two strikeouts in the second, third, fourth and seventh.

Cocoa pushed a pair of runs across in the fourth when Jose Salas and Al Javier singled singled, and advanced when Rafferty underthrew the ball to first. With one out, Green hit into a fielder's choice, scoring Salas. Loser Tom Pokorski then wild-pitched Javier home. The Astros' lone run in the ninth came when Al Leaver singled, stole second, went to third on a Rick Busby groundout, and scored on Neil Rasmussen's single to center.

Cocoa Astros ABRHRBI
Alberto Leaver, cf 5 1 2 0
Rick Busby, ss 3 0 0 0
Neil Rasmussen, 3b 3 0 2 1
Bob Blakley, lf 4 0 1 0
Luis Rodriguez, rf 5 0 1 0
Jose Salas, c 3 1 1 0
Al Javier, lf 4 1 2 0
Pastor Perez, 2b 2 0 0 0
Blake Green, p 3 0 0 1
 
 
 
Cocoa totals34 3 9 2
Winter Haven Red Sox ABRHRBI
Miguel Barnichta, ss 4 0 0 0
Jim Snypes, cf 4 0 0 0
Jim Rice, rf 3 0 0 0
Mike Rafferty, 3b 3 0 0 0
Jack Baker, 1b 3 0 0 0
Ted Frett, lf 3 0 0 0
Sebastian Martinez, c 3 0 0 0
Rafael Quinones, 2b 3 0 0 0
Tom Pokorski, p 1 0 0 0
John Webb, ph 1 0 0 0
Eduardo Benitez, p 0 0 0 0
Anthony McLin, ph 1 0 0 0
Winter Haven totals29 0 0 0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Cocoa Astros 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1
Winter Haven 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

E -   Rafferty
DP -  Cocoa 1 Winter Haven 1
LOB - Cocoa 11 Winter Haven 1
S   - Green
SB  - Leaver

Cocoa Astros IPHRERBBK
Blake Green (W, 2 - 3) 9 0 0 0 2 14

Winter Haven Red Sox IPHRERBBK
Tom Pokorski, L 6 6 2 1 5 4
Eduardo Benitez 3 3 1 1 0 2

WP-  Pokorksi
HBP - Leaver (by Pokorksi)
Time - 2:20 Attendance - 186


Green was very good for Cocoa the rest of the season, finishing 8 - 5 with a 1.50, even earning a callup to AAA Oklahoma City. But mysteriously, 1972 was his last year in baseball. Most guys who go 8 - 5, compile an ERA under two AND pitch a no-hitter would be back the following year. But with Green, the trail ends here. I wonder what happened?

Source: Florida Today, May 15, 1972

Using Bill James' Game Scores to evaluate this very well-pitched game, Green's effort grades out to a 99, which is a score that, as far as we at Astroland know, has never been exceeded in organizational history. Don Wilson, in his 1967 no-hitter against the Atlanta Braves, and Benjamin Griggs, in his twelve-inning loss for the Jacksonville Jets pitched May 27, 1961, do at the very least match Green on this scale of pitching dominance. But no-one has surpassed him, it doesn't seem. Which kind of makes you wish Green had tried to build on his success, no?

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