New York Yankees can thank a Rochester guy for getting them started on no-hitters
There have been 13 no-hitters in franchise history for the New York Yankees.
Domingo Germán was the last Yankees hurler to do it when he didn't just toss a no-hitter, but pulled off the even rarer feat of pitching a perfect game against the Oakland Athletics on June 28, 2023.
With apologies to Domingo, he's not from Rochester. So lets not let him steal the limelight from the Rochester lad who got the ball rolling on no-hitters for the Yankees.
One of the early stars for the Bronx Bombers, Rochester native George Mogridge was a long, lean southpaw who spent 15 years in the big leagues and enjoyed a career sprinkled with outstanding moments.
After attending the University of Rochester, Mogridge won 20 games in three of his first five minor league seasons. He made his big-league debut with the White Sox in 1911, pitching parts of two seasons for Chicago before his contract was sold to the Yankees in 1915.
It was in the Big Apple that Mogridge emerged as a star. He pitched the first no-hitter in Yankees history, blanking the Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston on April 24, 1917.
Mogridge had his best season in 1918, when he posted a record of 16-13 with a 2.18 earned run average. He also led the league with 45 games pitched.
His 2.73 ERA in his six years with New York is one of the five best ERAs for a Yankee pitcher in the 20th century.
But his best years in the big leagues came after a trade to the Washington Senators. He won 18 games in 1921 and again in 1922, besting teammate and future Hall of Famer Walter Johnson each time.
Mogridge started and won Game 4 of the 1924 World Series against the New York Giants, but he saved his team from disaster with an emergency relief appearance in the decisive seventh game.
After starting pitcher Curly Ogden struggled in the first inning, Washington manager Bucky Harris called Mogridge in to replace him. Throwing on just two days rest, Mogridge pitched 4 2/3 innings and surrendered just one earned run to keep his team in the game. The Senators would go on to win the game — and their only world championship — in a dramatic, 12-inning contest.
Mogridge spent the last few years of his career with the St. Louis Browns and Boston Braves, then returned to manage Rochester's minor league team in 1928. He opened a popular restaurant on Buffalo Road and later ran a sporting goods store on State Street.
He died in Rochester in 1962 at the age of 73 and is buried next to his wife, Clara Hurt Mogridge, in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
Sean Lahman is a former investigative reporter for the Democrat and Chronicle and served as an editor of a number of best-selling sports encyclopedias — including Total Baseball: The Official Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball and The ESPN Pro Football Encyclopedia.
Portions of this article were published in April 2015.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: George Mogridge of Rochester tossed 1st no-hitter in Yankees history
