John Samuel Vander Meer (November 2, 1914 – October 6, 1997) was an American professional baseball player.

[1] He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher, most prominently as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, where he became the only pitcher in Major League Baseball history to throw two consecutive no-hitters, and was a member of the 1940 World Series winning team.

[6] The Miners found his playing ability to be lacking and sent him to the Cincinnati Reds affiliate, the Nashville Volunteers, in a trade for Tiny Chaplin.

[7] Vander Meer made his major league debut with the Cincinnati Reds on April 22, 1937, at the age of 22.

[4] Vander Meer's performance earned him the role as the starting pitcher for the National League team in the 1938 All-Star game held at Cincinnati's Crosley Field.

[Note: the Sacrifice Fly was not an official statistic in 1940, so the At Bat by Ival Goodman counted, as did his RBI].

[17] In the 1940 World Series against the Detroit Tigers, Vander Meer made only one appearance when he entered Game 5 in the fifth inning with the Reds trailing 7–0.

[21] Vander Meer later recalled that the only hit in the game could have been ruled an error, as shortstop Eddie Joost fielded the ground ball, then dropped it before throwing to first base.

[27] After an ineffective year with the Cubs, he was released in March 1951 and was signed as a free agent by the Cleveland Indians.

[28] A four-time All-Star, Vander Meer compiled a 119–121 record with 1,294 strikeouts and a 3.44 ERA in 2,104+2⁄3 innings over a 13-year Major League career.

[1] Along with Dizzy Dean (1932–1935), Warren Spahn (1949–1952), Randy Johnson (1999–2002), Tim Lincecum (2008–2010), and Max Scherzer (2016–2018), Vander Meer is one of only six NL pitchers since 1930 to lead the league in strikeouts in three straight seasons (1941–1943).