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BASEBALL | NYT NOW
Becketts No-Hitter Is the Seasons First
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MAY 25, 2014
Josh Beckett pitched the first no-hitter of his career and the first in the
majors this season, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers over the host
Philadelphia Phillies, 6-0, on Sunday.
Beckett struck out six, walked three and did not come close to
allowing a hit against a lineup that included two former National League
most valuable players and four former All-Stars.
I dont think I had no-hit stuff, he said. I just really kept them
guessing.
Beckett, a 34-year-old right-hander whose career was almost derailed
last year by a nerve condition that left him unable to feel his fingertips,
threw 128 pitches and fanned Chase Utley on a called third strike to end
the game.
Beckett (3-1) mixed a sharp fastball with a slow, deceptive curve that
kept hitters off balance, completing the Dodgers first no-hitter since
Hideo Nomo beat Colorado at Coors Field in 1996, and the 21st in
franchise history. Sandy Koufax threw four.
Beckett, who started this season on the disabled list with a thumb
injury, pitched the first no-hitter in the majors since Miamis Henderson
Alvarez did it against Detroit on the final day of the 2013 season.
Beckett also became the first visiting pitcher to throw a no-hitter in
Philadelphia since Montreals Bill Stoneman stopped the Phillies on April
17, 1969, at Connie Mack Stadium.
All the defensive plays behind Beckett were routine. The hardest out
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was a Domonic Brown liner that left fielder Carl Crawford ran down near
the warning track in the fifth.
Beckett walked Utley in the first and Marlon Byrd in the second before
retiring 23 straight batters.
As the Dodgers batted in the ninth inning, Beckett sat at the end of the
bench, next to a security guard, before taking the mound in his bid for
history.
It was awesome, Beckett said. You think about it pretty much from
the fourth on. Im not one of those guys that carried a lot of no-hitters deep
into games.
Beckett retired pinch-hitter Tony Gwynn Jr. on a pop-up to shortstop
to start the ninth. Ben Revere followed with a grounder that first baseman
Adrian Gonzalez fielded, and he flipped to Beckett covering the bag for the
second out.
Jimmy Rollins was up next, and Beckett walked him on a full-count
pitch. That brought up Utley, and when the count when to 3-2, Dodgers
catcher Drew Butera went to the mound to talk to Beckett.
Beckett then threw a 94-mile-per-hour fastball that Utley merely
watched, and the plate umpire, Brian Knight, called strike three to end it.
Beckett walked off the mound, pumped his fist and was mobbed by
teammates. He got a standing ovation from the crowd of 36,141 at Citizens
Bank Park on his way to the dugout.
Roy Halladay had the only other no-hitter at cozy Citizens Bank Park,
doing it for the Phillies in a 4-0 playoff win over Cincinnati on Oct. 6,
2010.
RANGERS 12, TIGERS 4 Alex Rios tripled and drove in three runs,
and visiting Texas beat Justin Verlander and Detroit with another rout.
Texas took three of four in the series, scoring 35 runs in the process. The
Tigers have lost six of seven, and even Verlander (5-4) could not come close
to stopping the slide.
RAYS 8, RED SOX 5 Boston lost its 10th straight game, its longest
slump in 20 years, falling to host Tampa Bay. The game included a brawl
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that resulted in the ejections of the Rays Yunel Escobar and Sean
Rodriguez and Bostons Jonny Gomes.
This is Bostons worst losing streak since an 11-gamer from June 8 to
19, 1994.
GIANTS 8, TWINS 1 Michael Morse doubled three times and drove
in four runs, Madison Bumgarner stayed unbeaten in May and San
Francisco beat visiting Minnesota to complete a three-game sweep.
The Giants improved to 6-0 in interleague games this year and
improved their majors-leading record to 32-18.
ANGELS 4, ROYALS 3 Chris Iannetta hit a tiebreaking home run in
the eighth inning, lifting host Los Angeles over Kansas City. Reliever Tim
Collins (0-3) retired the first batter in the eighth before Iannetta lined a
drive into the lower seats in the left-field corner for his fifth homer of the
season and second of the series.
BREWERS 7, MARLINS 1 Jimmy Nelson pitched five and two-
thirds scoreless innings in his season debut as Milwaukee won at Miami.
Ryan Braun had four hits, including a double and a triple. Braun, who
has been nursing a sore right side, came into the game 5 for 27 on the
Brewers trip.
PADRES 4, CUBS 3 Ian Kennedy pitched six strong innings, and
host San Diego held on to beat Chicago. The Cubs, who had four hits, were
trying to win their first series since Sept. 9-11 in Cincinnati.
ASTROS 4, MARINERS 1 Dallas Keuchel pitched a four-hitter for
his second complete game in his last three starts, leading Houston past
host Seattle. George Springer and Marc Krauss hit two-run homers off
Hisashi Iwakuma (3-1), who allowed a season-high nine hits.
BLUE JAYS 3, ATHLETICS 1 J. A. Happ won his third straight
start as host Toronto completed a three-game sweep of Oakland.
The Blue Jays, who lead the American League East, won their season-
best sixth straight. It is Torontos longest streak since an 11-game run last
June. The Blue Jays have won 11 of 13 and 16 of 21.
NATIONALS 5, PIRATES 2 Ian Desmond hit a pair of run-scoring
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singles to lead visiting Washington over Pittsburgh, snapping the
Nationals four-game losing streak. Desmond singled in the first inning to
put the Nationals ahead, 2-0, then made it 5-1 with his single in the
seventh, helping end the Pirates four-game winning streak.
ORIOLES 4, INDIANS 2 Manny Machado and Nelson Cruz
homered to lead Baltimore past visiting Cleveland for a split of the four-
game series.
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