Jim Abbott: former left-hand pitcher recalls his 1993 no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians at Yankee Stadium

Baseball Digest, May, 2007 by Al Doyle

MY NO-HITTER AGAINST THE Indians at Yankee Stadium on September 4, 1993 is one game I'll never forget.

I had faced the Indians just six days before in old Municipal Stadium, and they hit me hard. I gave up seven earned runs and 10 hits in just three and two-thirds innings. Because of the struggle from the game before, I was more focused on throwing high-quality pitches.

The Indians had a very tough lineup with guys like Kenny Lofton, Carlos Baerga, Albert Belle and Manny Ramirez, and I was wild early in the game. The first pitch I threw would have been a wild pitch if someone had been on base. There may have been some jitters about wanting to do better than I did in the game before.

Even though I wasn't striking guys out--there were only three strikeouts in the game--I had a good fastball. Guys were hitting grounders and pop-ups on inside fastballs, and I used a lot of off-speed pitches. The curveball was good that night.

Two double plays helped, and Wade Boggs made a tremendous play going into the hole on Albert Belle. Wade went into a dive, picked it up and threw him out. Manny Ramirez had just been brought up. He scalded a one-hopper right at Randy Velarde, who made the play and threw Manny out.

The Yankees were still in the race, so I was focused on getting guys out and winning rather than thinking about a no-hitter. The fans really started getting into it in the sixth or seventh inning. Even though it wasn't a huge crowd (27,125), it sounded like the stadium was full. The crowd seemed bigger than it was.

Those last three innings were really exciting. I knew what was going on, and it wasn't the first time I flirted with a no-hitter. There was a game earlier in the year against the White Sox where Bo Jackson hit a dribbler to center field on a good pitch. You can throw great pitches and not get a break, and I didn't have any control over the results.

I was focusing on working with Matt Nokes behind the plate, trying to zero in and throw quality pitches. I'll be the first to admit it. My knees were knocking in the ninth inning. I've seen the tape of the game, and I looked a lot calmer than I was.

Carlos Baerga came up with two outs in the ninth. I threw a good slider across the outside of the plate, and he hit a grounder to Velarde, who made a nice throw to Don Mattingly.

When the final out was made, it was like time slowed down. It was like someone hit a mute button, then the sound was turned on loud. Don came over and gave me the game ball, and everyone congratulated me. Matt was so fired up and encouraging behind the plate that day.

Although it's a individual accomplishment, it takes a team effort for a no-hitter. Throwing a no-hitter at the major league level was the farthest thing from my mind.

It's a cherished moment, and one I'll never forget.

JIM ABBOTT FILE

Born: September 19, 1967 in Flint, Michigan

Threw: Left

Height: 6-3

Batted: Left

Weight: 210

Current occupation: Abbott is a spring training coach for the Angels and also works as a motivational speaker. As someone born with just one hand who managed to win 87 games in 10 major league seasons, he is well qualified to encourage others.

"The speaking is going very well," Abbott said. "I use the no-hitter a lot as an example to show people what they can do."

While he would clearly enjoy spending more time in baseball, Abbott plans to limit his commitment to spring training for awhile.

"I've gone to spring training for four or five years, and I'm a big fan of Mike Sciosia and his staff," Abbott said. "The interaction is tremendous. I love the game. If I was single, it would be fun to go some place like Bend, Oregon and work more with the young pitchers, but my focus is on my daughters. They're 10 and 6, so I'm coaching girls' softball."

A slick fielder: Even with one hand, Abbott racked up a career fielding percentage of .976, which is well above average for a pitcher. After releasing a pitch, Abbott would transfer the glove from his light arm. Grounders and hunts were scooped up with the left hand. Abbott would remove the ball while quickly transferring the glove to clear his hand for a throw.

"Jimmie Reese (long-time Angels coach) worked with me every day," Abbott said. "He hit a ton of balls and helped me develop a rhythm. I took pride in my fielding and worked hard on it."

Snakebit: After going 18-11 with a 2.89 ERA, (fourth in the American League) in 1991, Abbott lowered his ERA to a career-best 2.77 (fifth in the A.L.) in 1992. His reward was a 7-15 record.

"It was deeply disappointing," Abbott said. "That was a very difficult year. It was probably my best season as a pitcher. For whatever reason, we didn't score many runs. It was a transition year for the Angels. Pitching is a tough deal sometimes. A lot of things are out of your control. It took awhile, but it taught me how to evaluate performances besides winning and losing."

Picked twice: Abbott was drafted as a high school senior in the 36th round of the 1985 draft by the Blue Jays. He chose to attend the University of Michigan instead and was selected in the first round of the 1988 draft by the Angels.