Colt .45s/Astros History: Ken Johnson Throws A No Hitter for the Houston Colt .45s... and Lost!
Hard luck pitcher takes the L in "the best game of his life"
Throwing a no-hitter is a crowning achievement for many pitchers.
In recent years, the Astros have thrown quite a few no-hitters:
• On August 3rd, 2019, Aaron Sanchez, Will Harris, Joe Biagini, and Chris Devenski combined to throw a no-hitter against the Mariners
• On September 1st, 2019, Justin Verlander threw a no-hitter against the Blue Jays
• On June 25th, 2022, Cristian Javier, Hector Neris and Ryan Pressly combined to throw a no-hitter against the Yankees
• On November 2nd, 2022, Cristian Javier, Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero, and Ryan Pressly combined to throw a no-hitter against the Phillies IN THE WORLD SERIES
• And as recently as August 1st, 2023, Framber Valdez threw a no-hitter against the Guardians
But how would you feel if the Astros threw a no-hitter but lost?
That was something that Houston fans experienced in 1964 when Ken Johnson threw a nine-inning no-hitter for the Colt .45s and ended up losing the game.
Houston faced the Cincinnati Reds on April 23rd, 1964. Both teams started the season off in mediocre fashion as they each entered the game with a 4-4 record.
On the mound for Cincinnati, was Joe Nuxhall, a multiple-time all-star who was most famous for debuting for the Reds 20 years earlier when he was only 15 years old (but that’s a story for another day).
On the mound for Houston was the aforementioned Ken Johnson, a 30-year-old right-handed pitcher out of West Palm Beach, Florida.
Johnson was actually on the Reds in 1961 before getting drafted 29th overall by the Colt .45s in the expansion draft. In his two previous seasons Johnson went 7-16 with a 3.84 ERA in 1962 and an 11-17 record with a 2.65 ERA in 1963.
Johnson wasn’t bad despite his records, he just lacked run support. He won his first two games in the 1964 season, including a 6-3 opening-day win against the Reds.
Johnson had dedicated that opening day win to his former teammate, roommate and friend Jim Umbricht who had passed away due to cancer just five days earlier.
Despite winning his first two games as previously mentioned, the lack of run support Johnson received in 1962 and 1963 returned in his third start of the season.
In the top of the 1st inning, Johnson’s chance at throwing a perfect game was over, as he walked Vada Pinson.
However, that would be one of two base runners allowed by Johnson throughout the first eight innings (the other being a fifth-inning walk to Bob Skinner).
By the time the seventh inning rolled around, a no-hitter for Johnson was in sight. He reportedly asked his teammate Don Nottebart "How’s a guy supposed to feel, Notty? What do you do?”
"Stay loose and keep going” Nottebart replied. Nottebart had thrown the first no-hitter in Colt .45s/Astros history 11 months earlier against the Phillies.
You’re probably wondering, did the Colt .45s ever threaten to score? Well, they weren’t very good offensively either. In the 1st inning, Nellie Fox (yes, that Nellie Fox) recorded a one-out single.
Pete Runnels drew a walk, but Houston was unable to score. “Aspro the Astro” (Bob Aspromonte) led off the bottom of the 2nd with a lead-off single, only to get wiped on a ground ball double play the very next batter.
The Colt .45s had a couple more scoring opportunities, as in the 7th inning, Nellie Fox recorded another base hit, and Pete Runnels reached on a throwing error by Reds shortstop Leo Cardenas, putting runners on the corners with no outs.
However, John Weekly weakly hit a ground ball to Cardenas, who made up for his previous miscue by getting Fox out, who was going to third and Runnels out at 2nd for the second double play of the day for Houston.
In the bottom of the eighth, Jimmy Wynn lead off the inning with a double. After two outs were recorded by Nuxhall, Ken Johnson himself came to the plate with a runner in scoring position and a chance to give himself the lead.
Johnson hit a 365-foot flyball out caught by the Reds Left Fielder, Skinner. The Astrodome was 375 feet to left-center field, so Johnson was oh-so-close to giving himself the lead.
Things came crashing down for Johnson and the Colt .45s in the 9th inning. The no-hitter was almost ruined by the Reds’ pitcher Nuxhall who laid down a bunt to try and break up the no-hitter. However, Aspromonte was able to throw out Nuxhall at first to get out number one.
The 1963 Rookie of the Year and future all-time hits leader Pete Rose hit a ball to Johnson and Ken threw the ball away. The throw went past the first baseman Runnels and Rose got to 2nd.
Chico Ruiz then smashed a line drive that went off Johnson’s shin. Johnson was able to throw out Ruiz at 1st, however Rose went to 3rd.
With two outs, Johnson enticed Pinson to hit a ground ball to the future hall of famer, Nellie Fox. Nellie was in the 18th year of his career and despite having the reputation of being a good fielder, booted the ball for the second error of the inning for the Colt .45s, allowing Rose to score to first run of the game, making it 1-0.
The next batter Frank Robinson flew out to end the inning, but the damage was already done.
The Colt .45s were unable to score in the bottom half of the inning and despite Ken Johnson throwing a no-hitter, the Houston lost.
After the game, Fox was nearly in tears for committing the game-losing error. He profusely apologized to Johnson in the locker room for losing the game.
However, Johnson blamed himself for the two-base throwing error he committed earlier in the 9th inning. He also admitted that due to the ball that was hit off his shin, he would not have been able to continue had there been a tenth inning.
It was an overall odd mood in the clubhouse after the game. Some teammates congratulated him on the no-hitter, and some apologized for not being able to score a run.
Johnson however wasn’t too upset over the result. "What else can I do? I pitched the best game of my life,” he said. “I can’t feel bad because I lost it. I feel worse for the guys on the club. I guess that sounds funny but it’s true.”
Johnson pitched one more season and a half with the Colt .45s (renamed the Astros the next year) before being traded alongside Jim Beauchamp to the Braves for Lee Maye in the middle of the 1965 season.
Read more about Ken Johnson’s no-hitter at SABR.org