Steve Blass' 4-hit game in 1969 helped send Cubs into epic tailspin

In the three games since he was acquired Monday from the St. Louis Cardinals, first baseman John Nogowski has given Pittsburgh Pirates fans a reason to turn on their TV sets during the dog days of a dreary season.

He’s hitting .583, with seven hits (all singles) in 12 at-bats. When he recorded four hits Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park, he punctuated his performance by pitching a scoreless ninth inning to do the Pirates bullpen a favor.

In the process, he became the first Pirates player since Steve Blass to get four hits and pitch in the same game. Blass did it Sept. 5, 1969, at Wrigley Field

“I didn’t have that many hits in high school,” Blass said this week. “That’s why I became a pitcher. It was just luck. A couple of those balls snuck through the infield.”

Yet, even Nogowski would admit Blass accomplished his feat in more spectacular fashion.

Blass, who retired as a Pirates broadcaster in 2019 after 60 years with the team, pitched all nine innings, one of his nine complete games that season. Except for Billy Williams’ four hits — two home runs and two doubles — Blass threw a no-hitter.

“If he’s sick that day, I’m in Cooperstown,” Blass said.

But Blass didn’t let his problems with Williams affect his bat. In the second inning, he hit a two-out, three-run home run into Wrigley’s bleacher seats. It was the only homer of his career. “Don Leppert, our first-base coach, had to tell me to take a left turn,” he said.

Showing no respect, Cubs pitcher Ken Holtzman walked Freddie Patek intentionally, hoping Blass would make the final out of the inning. But Blass was proud of his hitting. Indeed, while other pitchers were striking out half the time, he ended up with only 140 strikeouts in 600 career plate appearances.

“What I tried to do was just put the ball in play, make contact,” he said. “They used to laugh at my prevent defense, two-strike stance.”

Only 10,411 showed up at Wrigley that aftenoon, perhaps sensing the misfortune that eventually befell the Cubs in their epic, late-season swoon of ‘69.

The Pirates won, 9-2, dropping the Cubs to 84-54. The loss was the second of what would become an eight-game losing streak for Chicago.

The Cubs, who held a nine-game lead in the National League East on Aug. 16, went on to finish eight behind the soon-to-be World Series champion New York Mets.

Nine days later, Blass did his part to help the Cubs, beating the Mets, 5-3, at Forbes Field, throwing another complete game while giving up 11 hits. In those days, it was no great feat for a pitcher to work all nine innings. Blass did it 57 times. No Pirates pitcher has done so this season.

The Pirates (88-74) finished third that season, and Blass ended up 16-10 with a .250 batting average (21 for 84, with two triples).

Blass said he has one other remembrance of his four-hit day: “It was Maz’s birthday,” he said of Pirates second baseman Bill Mazeroski. “That was a pretty good celebration that night.”