MILWAUKEE / LONDON – On a summer day in 1955, Warren Hacker stood just three outs from immortality.
The Chicago Cubs pitcher took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Braves in Milwaukee. George Crowe shattered the dream with a solo-homer, yet the Cubs won the game 2-1.
In 1952, his standout season, he posted a 15-9 record with a 2.58 ERA and 12 complete games. That year, he led all of Major League Baseball in WHIP with a 0.958, a key metric for measuring a pitcher’s effectiveness at preventing runners on base.
His performance earned him 22nd place in the National League MVP voting, a notable feat in an era before the Cy Young Award. The Cubs, buoyed by Hacker’s pitching and Hank Sauer’s MVP-winning offense, held a 32-19 record at one point, sitting just four games behind the league-leading Dodgers. However, the team faded, going 45-58 the rest of the way to finish 77-77.
In 1953, he led MLB by allowing 35 home runs. The following year, his performance worsened further. In 1955, he surrendered 38 home runs, a franchise record that still stands today, despite Shōta Imanaga’s efforts to break it in 2026.
After the 1956 season, the Cubs traded Hacker, along with Don Hoak and Pete Whisenant, to the Cincinnati Reds for Ray Jablonski and Elmer Singleton. The trade was a result of Hoak demanding a move, leaving the Cubs with few options. The return was minimal; Jablonski was dealt before the next season began, and Singleton, already 39, was a spare part. Hacker’s career in the majors continued to decline after the deal.
He played for Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and the Chicago White Sox before leaving the majors after the 1961 season. He later had a stint as a minor-league pitching coach in the Athletics’ and Padres’ organizations before passing away on May 22, 2002, in Lenzburg, Illinois, at the age of 77.
Over his nine seasons with the Cubs, he accumulated 13.5 bWAR, placing him at No. 99 on the team’s all-time list.
