This day in knuckleballing history: April 4, 1989: In a matchup of the two winningest pitchers in the majors over the past seven seasons, it was the knuckleballing Charlie Hough who outpitched Tigers ace Jack Morris, a future Hall of Famer, as the Texas Rangers beat Detroit 4-0 on Opening Day.
From 1982 to 1988, Hough had recorded 111 victories with a 3.58 ERA and 84 complete games. Morris, meanwhile, had logged 126 wins with a 3.55 ERA and 97 complete games during that same stretch.
But in this opening-day matchup, it was Hough who pitched just a bit better with a complete-game five-hitter with two walks and five strikeouts.
“Charlie’s my idol,” Morris, who fired a six-hitter with eight strikeouts, told USA Today afterward. “Just once in my life I’d like to pitch a game without sweating the way he does. Just once before I die, that’s all I ask. It must be great.”
A Life of Knuckleballs 