Cubs pitchers had been responsible for six no-hitters in the 18 seasons from 1955-72 (Sam Jones, Don Cardwell, two by Ken Holtzman, Burt Hooton and Milt Pappas). They seemed almost commonplace.
More than a decade had gone by since Pappas’ no-hitter (and near perfect game) in 1972 when Chuck Rainey took the mound for the Cubs against the Reds on a cloudy Wednesday afternoon, August 24, 1983. Both teams were far under .500 and out of contention, yet 17,955, a pretty good crowd considering the matchup, paid to see this ballgame.
Rainey began mowing down Reds hitters.