Virgil Trucks, who pitched two no-hitters in 1952 for the Detroit Tigers and was the last visiting pitcher to toss a complete-game no-hitter at Yankee Stadium, has died at the age of 95.
"Virgil will forever be remembered for his significant contributions in Tigers history," team owner Mike Ilitch said in a statement. "Virgil remained a friend to the club following his career and will be greatly missed by those of us who had the pleasure of knowing him."
The two-time All-Star died near Birmingham, Ala. Charter Funeral Home and Crematory in Calera, Ala., confirmed Trucks' death but did not release an official cause of death.
Trucks, also known from his nickname "Fire", is one of five pitchers to throw two no-hitter in a season, according to STATS. He accomplished that during a season in which the Tigers lost 104 games. Trucks went 5-19 with a 3.97 ERA in 1952, but he held Washington without a hit on May 15 and did the same to the New York Yankees on Aug. 25.
Trucks pitched 12 seasons for the Tigers and also had stints with the St. Louis Browns, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Athletics and Yankees.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Trucks said within that season he kept his pitches consistent and he didn't like to relive much else about the 1952 season:
"I pitched the same way every game, with mostly a 95-to-100-m.p.h. fastball. With the same motion, I also threw an 85-m.p.h. slider and a 75-m.p.h. change-up. That really threw the hitters off."
"The '52 season was bittersweet for me. The sweet part was the no-hitters, but the rest of the season left a very bitter taste. We just went out there and tried to win, but we just didn't jell. If it had been a better season, we would have celebrated the no-hitters much more."
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