#Wise July 12

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July 2026 several of us are going to take on the 30-Day America at 250 Coach4aday Challenge. Each day we share something about America’s unique and quirky history. It can be about a place, an event, or person. Today it about a Major League Baseball Player named Rick WISE who did something in a game that is one of a kind.

Rick Wise when he was 12 years led his Portland Oregon Little League Team to the 1958 LL World Series. That feat alone puts him a category of players who made it to the LL World Series and played Major League Baseball. Wise played for 18 years for six different teams including the Philadelphia Phillies from 1964-1971.

Day 12-Rick Wise stands alone

Sports journalists and fans often say, “That’s a record that will never be broken” or “That’s a feat that will never be duplicated.” What Rick Wise accomplished on June 23, 1971—a complete-game no-hitter while hitting two home runs—may someday be matched by a rare two-way superstar such as Shohei Ohtani, but it remains one of baseball’s most unlikely achievements

On the night of June 23, 1971, Rick Wise took the mound for the Philadelphia Phillies against the Cincinnati Reds at Riverfront Stadium while battling the flu. Despite feeling ill, Wise threw a complete-game no-hitter in a 4–0 victory. More than 300 no-hitters have been recorded in Major League Baseball history, but Wise’s performance was extraordinary because he also starred at the plate. He became just the fourth pitcher ever to throw a no-hitter and hit a home run in the same game—but he didn’t stop there. Rick Wise hit two home runs that night, making him the only pitcher in Major League history to throw a no-hitter and hit two home runs in the same game.

As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday through our 30-Day America at 250 Coach4aday Challenge, stories like Rick Wise’s remind us that American history isn’t made up only of presidents, wars, and inventions. It is also filled with remarkable moments in sports where ordinary people accomplished the seemingly impossible, creating memories that have endured for generations.