Necciai is best remembered for the unique feat of striking out 27 batters in a nine-inning game, which he accomplished in the Class-D Appalachian League on May 13, 1952. He is the only pitcher ever to do so in a nine-inning, professional-league game.\n', '

Necciai pitched two seasons of Class-D baseball before being drafted in the Pirates\' farm system in 1952 at age 19. He was assigned to pitch for the Bristol Twins, the Pirates\' Appalachian League team. On May 13, pitching despite painful stomach ulcers, Necciai struck out 27 batters while throwing a 7–0 no-hitter against the Welch Miners. Four of the Welch hitters did reach base, one runner each via a walk, an error, a hit batsman and a passed ball charged to Twins\' catcher Harry Dunlop on a swinging third strike. This resulted in a four-strikeout ninth inning. Only two batters put the ball in play: Bob Ganung grounded out to first base in the second inning and Whitehead got on base on an error in the ninth.\n', '

In his next start, Necciai threw a 24-strikeout two-hitter. In that season he struck out 109 hitters in 43 innings with Bristol, and a Carolina League-high 172 in 126 innings at Burlington before quickly climbing the ranks of the organization and eventually getting called up to the Major Leagues amid heavy publicity in August 1952.\n', '

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