Baseball History: Clyde Bateman Throws No Hitter

One of the impressive two way stars in the minors at the turn of the century, Clyde Bateman was a legend in the Texas League. On this day in 1903, Bateman threw a no hitter to complete one of the more impressive seasons in baseball history.

Clyde Bateman was a true star in the Texas League. Although he never appeared in the majors, that did not take away from his place in baseball history. Indeed, his 1903 campaign, both as a pitcher and a hitter, was notable.

On this day in 1903, Batemen, appearing as a pitcher for the Waco Steers, fired a no hitter against the Fort Worth Panthers. On its own, the no hitter is not entirely noteworthy; it is a great accomplishment, but after all, quite a few pitchers had already thrown no hitters. Yes, Bateman was more than a pitcher, also playing first base, but the no hitter was not particularly notable otherwise.

That is, the no hitter alone was not anything overly notable. However, Bateman paired that no hitter with another impressive feat earlier in the year. On May 13, Bateman hit four homers in a single game, and added a triple for good nature. In doing so, he became the second player in Texas League history to have a four home run game.

More from Call to the Pen

• Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
• Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
• Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
• Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
• 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals

Those performances simply capped off an incredible year for Bateman. He ended the season tied with Reeve McKay for third in the Texas League with his 18 victories, trailing only Rip Ragan and Bert Hise for the league lead.

Offensively, Bateman was a star. He led the league with a .344 batting average, 132 hits, nine triples, and tied for the lead with 13 homers. He was also third with 20 doubles. Had there been an MVP award, Bateman would have ran away with it just for his offensive production. Add in his solid pitching, and his two feats during the season, there is no question how valued he was.

Next: Preseason RoY favorites rounding into form

Clyde Bateman was a star in the Texas League, eventually being named to the league’s Hall of Fame in 2012. On this day, he pitched his way into baseball history, as he fired a no hitter and hit four homers in a single game in the same season.