1958 Topps Virgil Trucks

Look up Virgil Trucks' stats and you will see the numbers of a pretty good pitcher who was named to two All-Star teams. But look a little deeper. Look at 1952.

That was the year that Trucks compiled a 5-19 records for the Detroit Tigers.

Awful?

Think again.

The Tigers were horrible in 1952. The team finished the season 50-104, 45 games behind the New York Yankees in the standings. They were 24 games behind the lowly St. Louis Browns. They had the worst team-winning percentage (.325) until 2003, when the Detroit Tigers beat their record for futility (.265).

So what about Trucks?

Of Trucks' five wins, two were no-hitters, one was a one-hitter and another a two-hitter.

In fact, Trucks threw a total of six no-hitters in his career, four of them while playing in the minors.