When I've read about Mathewson pitching, sometimes he'd coast along and actually allow a hit or two. Sometimes he'd pitch around someone and let them walk, late in the game, with no one on, just to avoid letting the guy get a hit,or a double... I think even today, some pitchers don't get too torn up over a walk, because they're pitching all over the black of the plate and nowhere else. I recall some games John Tudor pitched, when he'd throw the ball everywhere other than down the middle. So Phil, that's one way why a no hitter with 5 walks can be better than a one hit no walk game.
I saw Mario Soto a pitch away from a no hitter in Cincy. He had a 1-0 lead in the 9th, 2 out, George Hendrick batting for the Cardinals. My recollection is that Soto quickly got 2 strikes on Silent George, then he threw up and in with Hendrick staggering back. He stepped back in, pushed his helmet down on his head, and stood with that back foot a bit past where the back of the batter's box used to be. Hendrick lined the next pitch down the left field line, barely over the fence, a clothes line shot. The air went out of the park. Reds got a run in the 9th for a 2-1 win, Soto got a complete game win and I think it was a 1 hitter...
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