On July 12, 1997 — In front of a full house at Three Rivers Stadium on Jackie Robinson Night, two Pirates pitchers throw the first and only to date extra inning combined no-hitter in big league history. Ricardo Rinon takes over in the tenth inning to preserve starter Francisco Cordova’s effort and gets the win when Mark Smith pinch-hits a three-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the inning off John Hudek.

Smith had been acquired in a four-player trade with the San Diego Padres on March 29 and had 11 RBIs in 59 at-bats for Pittsburgh.8In regard to what happened next, Smith asserted, “I got a great scouting report from [batting coach] Lloyd McClendon. He told me to watch for fastballs, that (Hudek) likes to get ahead on fastballs. He started me off with an inside fastball [for a strike]. I watched for the same thing.” Smith saw what he was looking for on the next pitch, and hit his third home run of the season to deep left field to give the Pirates a 3-0 victory.

Three of the other 10-inning no-hitters also occurred in the National League: the Cincinnati Reds’ Jim Maloney, 1-0, against the Chicago Cubs on August 19, 1965; the Cincinnati Reds’ Fred Toney, 1-0, also against the Cubs, on May 2, 1917; and the New York Giants’ Hooks Wiltse, 1-0, against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 4, 1908. The fourth such no-hitter was hurled by Sam Kimber of the old American Association’s Brooklyn Atlantics against the Toledo Blue Stockings in a game that ended in a 0-0 tie on October 4, 1884.