Goldin Auctions is proud to offer here the very glove worn by Harvey Haddix that Tuesday night in Milwaukee. After the historic game, the lefty had the glove he wore throughout the 12 2/3 innings bronzed and mounted. A brass plaque inscribed "THE GLOVE THAT WAS USED BY HARVEY HADDIX OF THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES TO PITCH THE NO HITTER AGAINST MILWAUKEE - MAY 26, 1959" is mounted on a 12" x 12" wood base. This Hall of Fame-worthy piece of history was in Haddix's possession for decades and is now being offered here. The wood base shows slight wear from normal wear and age and displays beautifully, a stunning tribute to the greatest pitched game of the modern era. Letter of Authenticity from Mrs. Harvey Haddix.

      -Detailed Recap of 12 inning Perfect Game of Harvey Haddix-

 It's the most famous no-hit perfect game that never was in baseball history. Tuesday May 26, 1959. The Pittsburgh Pirates were in Milwaukee's County Stadium to face the defending National League Champs. With Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Joe Adcock and Del Crandall, the Braves were by far the most powerful lineup in the NL. Facing them that night was "The Kitten" - Pittsburgh's diminutive southpaw Harvey Haddix. Haddix had come up with the Cardinals, just missing their heyday of the 1940's. Relegated to pitching for second division clubs, Haddix never the less managed to turn in some fine seasons including 20 wins in 1953 and 18 the following year. The three-time all-star moved to the Phillies and Reds before Pittsburgh snagged him before the '59 season. Now a crafty veteran at age 33, the Pirates looked to Haddix to anchor the pitching staff of an up and coming pennant contender. This early season match up against the hardest hitting line up in the game would be a true test of The Kitten's skills.

     19,000 turned out for the game. On the mound for the Braves was Lew Burdette, the tough right hander who would win 21 games including four shutouts that year. Both pitchers started out spectacular. Burdette scattered five singles through five innings but Haddix was stingier, giving up nothing. Burdette bore down and retired the next nine straight but The Kitten purred along, sending every man in a Braves uniform back to the bench in failure. At the end of nine, no Brave had reached base - Haddix had pitched a complete perfect game no-hitter - but it wasn't over yet. Burdette's pitching had kept the Pirates scoreless - the game went to extra innings.

     Anyone who was near a radio stopped what they were doing to listen. Cars pulled to the side of the road and dinners went untouched - this was history in the making. Bill Mazeroski led off the top of the 10th for the Pirates. Burdette put him away with a ground out. Then Don Hoak got a hold of a fast ball and sent it into right field for a single. Manager Danny Murtaugh held back Roman Mejias and sent in slugger Dick Stuart to pinch hit but Burdette got him to fly out to center. Now with Hoak still on first Harvey Haddix came to the plate. With his own masterpiece on the line, the go-ahead run on first, The Kitten hit a weak grounder to short.

     Del Rice and then Eddie Mathews each hit long fly smashes to deep center field but Bill Virdon reigned them in. Haddix then got Aaron to ground out to short. 10 perfect innings. Burdette took the mound again. There was no way he was giving way to a relief pitcher now. Dick Schofield stroked a single to left field but then was forced out on a dribbler by Virdon. Smoky Burgess then grounded into a double play to end the rally. Haddix quickly set down Adcock, Covington and Crandall and walked back to the Pirates dugout with 11 perfect innings under his hat. Mazeroski managed a two out single in the top of the 12th but was forced out on a Hoak grounder to snuff another rally. Haddix set down Pafko, Logan and Burdette to make it 36 straight without a man reaching base. Pittsburgh managed another single to lead off the 13th but Burdette easily got out of it, sending the Haddix to the mound again.

     Haddix had flirted with a no-hitter early in his career, but this was different. A no-hitter was nine innings and any number of men could reach base - by error, walk, wild pitch - just not through a hit. This was a perfect game - meaning not one Brave stepped foot on the base paths that night. With the game going into 13 innings, technically Haddix already had his perfect no-hitter. But this was baseball, and the game doesn't end until one team scores more than the other. So Haddix took the mound again in the 13th, hoping he could hold those Milwaukee bats until his teammates could figure out how to beat Burdette. Felix Mantilla was the first batter. Notoriously the weakest bat in the Braves lineup, he got a hold of a pitch and sent it towards third base. Don Hoak fielded the ball perfectly but threw the ball in the dirt for an error. Mantilla was safe at first. So now the perfect game was blown but there was still a no-hitter in the works. Only problem was the NL's best hitter, Hank Aaron, was standing at the plate. Haddix wisely chose to walk him on four pitches. Two men on, no outs. Haddix was looking for a double-play, the pitcher's best friend. Unfortunately the next man up was Joe Adcock, a giant of a man who averaged 20 home runs in a bad year. Adcock seized a Haddix fastball and sent it clean over the fence in deep right center. The Braves, acting like they'd won another pennant, ran on the field to celebrate the win, In the chaos, Adcock passed Aaron on the bases and was called out. eventually it was worked out to be scored as a run scoring double.

     But it didn't matter. As the Braves jumped all over the base path's he'd kept clear through 12 innings, Harvey Haddix walked dejectedly into the Pittsburgh dugout. The perfect game gone, the no-hitter gone and now even the win was gone. Photographers captured The Kitten's shell-shocked and miserable face as he headed for the showers. In eight hours it would be all over every newspaper front page in the country.

     Decades later Haddix's game is still remembered as one of the greatest pitching performances in history. That he lost was irrelevant. For years commissioners and writers have fought over whether the game should be considered a perfect game since he did complete nine innings. There was talk of a dreaded asterisk to be added in the record books, but nothing came of it. Perhaps it is for the best, since to this day fans still talk about that May 26, 1959 game when for 12 valiant innings little Harvey Haddix single handedly beat back the best line up in the game.

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