Matt Stairs homered and drove in four runs and Jeff Suppan pitched Pittsburgh's first complete game in more than a year as the Pirates beat the Colorado Rockies 9-0 Sunday.
"That was the most effective game pitched against us all season," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "I can't say more than that."
PHOTO: AP
Kenny Lofton and Jason Kendall sparked all of Pittsburgh's scoring against starter Shawn Chacon (11-4) by reaching base in three of the first four innings. Chacon was trying to become the majors' first 12-game winner, but left trailing 6-0 after four innings.
"It's important for the leadoff guy to get on because anything can happen," Lofton said. "Things worked out today and we hope we can keep it going."
Suppan (6-7) pitched a four-hitter for the Pirates' first complete-game shutout of the season. They have two shutouts by multiple pitchers.
"We scored early and kept scoring runs and our defense was outstanding," said Suppan, who hadn't thrown a shutout since April 29, 2002, with the Royals. "I took it inning by inning and was able to keep making my pitches. Everything kind of happened for us."
The Pirates had gone 170 games without a complete game since Jimmy Anderson, now in the Reds' organization, beat Cincinnati on June 16, 2002.
Expos 10, Blue Jays 2
Tomo Ohka pitched 6 2-3 no-hit innings and didn't allow an earned run in his first complete game this season as the Montreal Expos beat the Blue Jays 10-2 Sunday.
But Ohka wanted even more after holding the powerful Blue Jays to a season-low two hits.
"I'm not satisfied with the outing," Ohka said through an interpreter. "I would have been very happy if I had a no-hitter."
Carlos Delgado broke up the no-hit bid with a seventh-inning double that scored Frank Catalanotto, who reached on an error.
"I didn't know anybody was capable of doing that do us," Toronto manager Carlos Tosca said of Ohka's performance.
Ohka (7-7) allowed two runs -- both unearned.
He hit Reed Johnson with a pitch leading off the third to give Toronto its only base runner in the first six innings. Ohka struck out four and walked none.
He kept his no-hit bid alive in the fifth by robbing Delgado of a hit with a stabbing grab of a comebacker.
On April 11, Ohka allowed just one hit -- a fourth-inning single -- in eight innings of a 10-0 win over the New York Mets.
Mike Bordick hit an RBI single in the eighth for Toronto's only other hit.
"He had as dominating a performance as you're going to see. It's too bad he didn't complete it," Montreal manager Frank Robinson said of the no-hit bid.
"I've seen him pitch outstanding games, but this was just a tremendous performance. He was just in complete control."
Ron Calloway went 3-for-5 with four RBIs for the Expos, who split six games with the Blue Jays this season. The teams will share the Pearson Cup, awarded to the winner of the interleague series. Each team has won the trophy three times, and there were three ties.
The trophy was named for former Canadian prime minister Lester B. Pearson.
The Blue Jays finished interleague play 10-8. Montreal was 9-9.
Toronto starter Kelvim Escobar (5-5) loaded the bases in the second inning before Calloway hit a two-run single that gave Montreal a 2-0 lead.
Catalanotto reached safely in the seventh by hitting a grounder to first baseman Edwards Guzman, who dropped the ball and threw wildly to Ohka at the bag.
The Expos then employed a shift against the left-handed Delgado, who found the opening in the opposite field for his RBI double.
Montreal scored six runs in the eighth on Jose Vidro's solo home run, Calloway's RBI single, Guzman's two-run single and on third baseman Eric Hinske's fielding error, that scored two runs.
Johnson reached on Ohka's throwing error in the bottom of the eighth and scored on Bordick's RBI single.
Escobar allowed three runs on eight hits in seven-plus innings.
Calloway hit an RBI single in the ninth, and Mike Barrett added an RBI grounder.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care