Dwight Siebler, Who Pitched Nebraska's First No-Hitter, Dies at 83
Dwight Siebler, who pitched Nebraska's first no-hitter in 1957 but lost the game, passed away June 16 at age 83.
Services will be Thursday in Gretna, Neb.
As a sophomore right-hander out of Omaha North High School, Siebler hurled a no-hitter in the first game of a doubleheader against Oklahoma on May 18, 1957. However, his own throwing error in the second inning resulted in a 1-0 loss to the Sooners.
With a Sooner on second base after a walk and an error, “the batter bunted, I fielded the ball and threw it into right field, and the runner scored,” the Columbus, Neb., native recalled decades later. Siebler struck out nine batters and walked three in the seven-inning game.
It was the first of seven no-hitters in Cornhusker baseball history. The next one didn't come until 21 seasons later.
After earning first-team all-conference honors as a Husker junior in 1958, Siebler opted to turn pro and was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies.
During his quest to make it into the major leagues, an arm injury took some of the steam from his fastball. Nonetheless, he finally made his MLB debut in a relief appearance on Aug. 26, 1963, after being sold to the Minnesota Twins. Three days later, he made his first MLB start and tossed a three-hitter in a 10-1 complete-game win against the Washington Senators.
Siebler called it quits after the 1967 season after pitching in parts of five MLB seasons. He had thrown 117⅓ innings and posted a 3.45 ERA and a 4-3 record over 48 appearances.
In his post-baseball life, he returned to Omaha and took over his family’s heating and air-conditioning business.
Siebler was inducted into the Nebraska Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994.