The Pecan Park Eagle

April 7, 1979: Ken Forsch No-Hits Braves, 6-0, in 2nd Game of Season!
Larry Dierker arrives to offer congratulations with an inscription he wrote on his score card.
~ Both Houston Post Photos Used Here Courtesy of The Houston Public Library

Based upon the euphoric smiles of each man in both pictures, each also seems to be somewhat joyfully numbed by the magic of the moment. In fact, and in associative deference to Mr. Dierker’s up-to-date hairdo of that era, we are inspired to call this moment as we see it – and in satirical deference to a similarly entitled Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels movie from the later year of 1994 – we are respectfully inclined to re-baptize these photos for what they show, at least,  as we see them both through these ancient, but always searching-for-meaningfulness eyes.

How does “Numb and Number” sound? – Numbed by the shared jubilation of joy! – Even better, how does Larry Dierker’s explanation of his emotions in that moment fit the circumstances of what both he and Ken Forsch were going through at this golden moment in time and Astros history?

When I shared these photos with Larry Dierker prior to writing this column, he responded with the following brief comment about 1979, his rookie year as a broadcaster – and one that found him keeping score for the first time in his life during the second game of the season – and then having it turn out to be the first Astros no-hitter in the Astrodome since he last threw one himself, three seasons earlier:

“(1979 was) my first year to broadcast (road TV games only),” Dierker wrote.  “Second home game and I thought I would keep a scorecard for practice.  First time I even kept one.  After my no-no, Don Nottebart sent me a telegram that read, “feels good doesn’t it?”  I took my scorecard down to Kenny after the game with the same inscription.  It feels good just thinking about it.”

Thanks for contributing to this wonderful memory, Dierk! You and Ken Forsch each contributed many great memories to so many thousands of us Astros fans in those days. Please know too that both of you – and other people like Jimmy Wynn, Jose Cruz, J.R. Richard, and others too numerous to mention are the same guys who fused the “H” letter of Hope into the same H” letter that begins the name of our dear home town – a very long time ago.

And the “H” still stands for the blend of both!

Larry Dierker’s written message on the scorecard (still (in his left hand in the joyful moment of this photo) he soon gave to Ken Forsch that night was short and sweet: “It feels good, doesn’t it?”

For those who don’t know, there have been ten no-hitters involving Houston MLB pitchers. Amazingly, our record in these is only 9 wins against one loss. You see, we lost one of them, but that’s another story for another time. That tenth and most recent no hit Astros win against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium is also another story, but also one with a short version explanation: The Astros used six pitchers in that game – and every one of them held the Yankees hitless over nine shared innings to take an 8-0 win that was credited to Brad Lidge, who worked the 6th and 7th. Here’s the list:

Houston Colt .45s/Astros No Hitters:

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Tags: Ken Forsch no-hits Barves in 1979

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