For 45 years, no one had no-hit the New York Yankees. To break that streak, the Houston Astros needed a record six pitchers.
After ace Roy Oswalt was injured in the second inning, Pete Munro, Kirk Saarloos, Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel and Billy Wagner finished off the 8-0, no-hit victory Wednesday.
PHOTO: REUTERS
"First appearance for most of us in Yankee Stadium," Wagner said. "What better place could there be?"
It was the most pitchers ever to combine on a no-hitter in the majors -- four had twice done the trick. The Yankees had gone 6,980 games -- the longest streak in big league history -- without being no-hit, since Hoyt Wilhelm's 1-0 victory for Baltimore on Sept. 20, 1958.
Since then, the proud franchise had won nine World Series titles and 15 American League pennants. But that all ended on a muggy late-spring night. The last time New York had been held hitless at Yankee Stadium was on Aug. 25, 1952, by Detroit's Virgil Trucks.
With Yankees' fans standing and applauding, Wagner pumped his fist as he stepped on first base to end it. Many the Astros ran onto the field to give high-fives while the Yankees couldn't clear out of the dugout fast enough.
"This is one of the worst games I've ever been involved in," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "It was a total, inexcusable performance."
Torre called it the low point for the Yankees since he started managing the club in 1996. New York dropped out of first place in the AL East, falling a half-game behind Boston, and Torre held a team meeting after the loss.
"Tonight was an ugly, ugly performance," he said. "Once things started snowballing, I think we lost our composure."
The closest New York came to a hit was in the fifth against Saarloos, when Alfonso Soriano sent a fly ball into short left field. Lance Berkman, who hit a two-run run homer in the third, ran in, stuck out his glove and made a tumbling catch.
"It wasn't that close," Berkman said. "It probably looked more spectacular than it really was."
Third baseman Geoff Blum made a barehanded pickup on Juan Rivera in the third ad threw him out at first.
"One guy usually goes out there and does it," Astros manager Jimy Williams said. "Maybe two, but not six."
Astros pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts, including four by Dotel in the eighth, which tied the major league record for an inning. Soriano reached when he struck out on a wild pitch.
Wagner struck out Jorge Posada and pinch-hitter Bubba Trammell to start the ninth. Wagner then got Japanese slugger Hideki Matsui to ground to first base with one pitch to complete the Astros' 10th no-hitter, the first since Darryl Kile against the New York Mets on Sept. 8, 1993.
This was the second no-hitter in the majors this season. Kevin Millwood pitched one for Philadelphia on April 27 against San Francisco.
And it came on the 65th anniversary of Johnny Vander Meer's first no-hitter. The only pitcher to throw consecutive no-hitters, he started that streak on June 11, 1938, for Cincinnati against the Boston Braves.
Overall, it was the third no-hitter in a game between AL and NL teams, and all of them have been at Yankee Stadium. The other two were perfect games -- Don Larsen did it against the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1956 World Series and David Cone did it against Montreal on July 18, 1999.
Oswalt strained his right groin and left in the second. He looked toward catcher Brad Ausmus after his second pitch of the inning, his 23rd of the game, and immediately was replaced.
Oswalt originally hurt his groin May 15 while running the bases against Pittsburgh and was on the disabled list until May 31. He planned to return to Houston on Thursday for an MRI.
Munro pitched 2 2-3 innings, Saarloos 1 1-3 innings and Lidge (4-0) went two innings. Dotel threw the eighth, striking out four in an inning for only the 44th time in big league history.
"The first time to step on the Yankee Stadium mound and be part of a no-hitter is something special, something I'll never forget," Saarloos said.
Dotel and Wagner combined to fan eight straight hitters before Matsui grounded out, completing Houston's eighth win in nine games. New York is just 16-24 since its 20-4 start.
Blue Jays 8, Pirates 5
In Toronto, Roy Halladay won his ninth straight start, breaking Roger Clemens' team record, and Carlos Delgado hit his American League-leading 21st homer as Toronto beat Pittsburgh.
Halladay (9-2) allowed one run on eight hits in eight innings. He struck out nine and walked one. The 26-year-old right-hander hasn't lost since April 15 against the Yankees -- a span of 12 starts.
Pittsburgh's Aramis Ramirez extended his career-high hitting streak to 22 games with a single in the first. Brian Giles homered and drove in four runs, three on a ninth-inning homer.
Indians 3, Padres 2
In Cleveland, CC Sabathia took a shutout into the eighth inning as Cleveland beat Dan Diego to win for the 10th time in its last 12 home games.
Sabathia (5-3) blanked San Diego on nine hits for 7 2-3 innings before giving up Brian Buchanan's two-out, two-run homer.
David Riske got the final out for Sabathia in the eighth inning and Danys Baez worked the ninth for his 14th save. Rookie Jody Gerut homered off Adam Eaton (2-5) and made two nice plays in right field behind Sabathia.
Dodgers 3, Tigers 1
In Detroit, Kevin Brown won his National League-best ninth game and Fred McGriff's go-ahead single moved him into a tie with Joe DiMaggio on the all-time RBI list as the Dodgers beat Detroit.
McGriff knocked in Brian Jordan in the fourth inning to give Los Angeles a 2-1 lead. It was McGriff's 1,537th RBI, tying DiMaggio for 36th place.
Eric Gagne pitched a perfect ninth for his 23rd save in as many opportunities. He has saved 31 straight dating back to last season, the longest streak in the majors.
Adam Bernero (1-8) gave up three runs on four hits and three walks over 7 2-3 innings.
Red Sox 13, Cardinals 1
In Boston, Pedro Martinez pitched three solid innings in his return from the disabled list for Boston, which had a season-high 19 hits to defeat St. Louis.
The Red Sox scored seven runs in the second inning and had at least eight runs for the fifth time in seven games.
Martinez left to a standing ovation after throwing 47 pitches as the Red Sox eased him back into action.
He hadn't pitched since May 15 and went on the disabled list May 25 with an inflamed tendon and strained muscle high on his right side.
The Red Sox ace struck out three and allowed two hits and no walks as his ERA dropped from 2.83 to 2.70. He was replaced, as planned, by John Burkett (4-3) to start the fourth.
Reds 7, Devil Rays 6
In St. Petersburg, Florida, Kelly Stinnett hit a grand slam and Aaron Boone snapped a ninth-inning tie with an RBI single as Cincinnati handed Tampa Bay its season-high sixth straight loss.
Jose Guillen started the winning rally with a one-out single off Jesus Colome (1-3). He moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Boone's hit after Austin Kearns was walked intentionally.
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