Playing ins night game on May 13, 1952, the league leading Bristol Twins of the Class D Appalachian League were playing Welch Miners at home field Shaw Stadium.
Starting pitcher for the Twins was Ron "Necktie" Necciai. A young 19 year old with a very good curve, a wicked fastball, and an ulcer. He was worried before the game that he didn't have his stuff that night. One after another, inning after inning, the Miners came up and were struck out. As the game progressed his ulcer became more and more painful and at one point had to call time so the bat boy could bring a glass of milk to the mound.
He kept sending them down, 27 strikeouts, not hits. No one has ever done that in professional baseball before or since.
Always the worrier, when he struck out 24 batters in his next start and only 14 a couple weeks later, he felt he had let the fans down.
After hearing of what he had done, Branch Rickey claimed him to be the second coming of Christy Mathewson and Dizzy Dean and rushed him up to the big club in Pittsburg. By now he was known as Rocket Ron , but in his first start he gave up seven runs for the loss and finished the season with a 1-6 record.
The following year he was drafted into the army where the ulcer kept him in constant pain. He was given a medical discharge. He returned to playing for the Pirates farm team. strained his arm, then retired. He became a hunting and fishing equipment salesman and as soon as he stopped playing baseball the ulcer went away.
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