AMERICAN LEAGUE
AP, CHICAGO
PHOTO: AP
Mark Buehrle pitched the first perfect game in the major leagues in five years, leading the Chicago White Sox over the Tampa Bay Rays 5-0 in the American League on Thursday.
Buehrle (11-3), backed by Josh Fields’ second-inning grand slam, threw 76 of 116 pitches for strikes and fanned six in his second career no-hitter.
His bid was saved at the start of the ninth inning by center fielder DeWayne Wise, who jumped and got his glove above the wall to rob Gabe Kapler of a home run.
It was the 18th perfect game in major league history, the 16th since the modern era began in 1900 and the first since Arizona’s Randy Johnson against Atlanta on May 18, 2004.
MARINERS 2, TIGERS 1
At Detroit, Jarrod Washburn pitched seven scoreless innings for Seattle to win his eighth game in 10.
Washburn (8-6), who allowed two hits and two walks, was 5-1 with a 1.81 ERA in his last seven starts.
Rookie starter Luke French (1-1) took the loss, the first of his career. He allowed two runs on eight hits in 5 1-3 innings and struck out six without walking a batter.
Seattle took a 1-0 lead in the first on Mike Sweeney’s RBI double, and made it 2-0 in the sixth. Curtis Granderson pulled the Tigers within 2-1 with a two-out RBI triple off Mark Lowe in the eighth.
INDIANS 5, BLUE JAYS 4
At Toronto, rookie David Huff won for the first time in three starts and Shin-Soo Choo tripled home two runs as Cleveland won its first series in nearly three weeks.
The left-handed Huff (5-4) allowed four runs and eight hits in seven-and-two-third innings. Huff left after Kevin Millar cut Cleveland’s lead to one with a two-out homer in the eighth.
The Indians chased Toronto rookie left-hander Marc Rzepczynski with a three-run fifth. Toronto answered in the bottom half, making it 4-3 on a two-run homer by Aaron Hill, who leads Toronto with 22.
In other NL games it was:
• Yankees 6, Athletics 3
• Angels 6, Twins 5
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, ATLANTA, GEORGIA
The San Francisco Giants avoided a four-game sweep by beating the Atlanta Braves 5-1 in the National League on Thursday.
Picher Barry Zito gave up only three hits in seven innings as the Giants moved within a game of Colorado in the provisional NL wildcard slot.
The Braves had been aiming for their first ever four-game home sweep of San Francisco.
PHILLIES 9, PADRES 4
In Philadelphia, the hosts returned to winning ways in a comfortable victory over San Diego.
A day after their 10-game winning streak ended, the Phillies moved six-and-a-half games ahead of Atlanta and Florida atop the NL East.
DIAMONDBACKS 11, PIRATES 4
In Phoenix, Arizona, the home team piled on five runs in the seventh inning to overcome Pittsburgh.
Mark Reynolds doubled with one out in the seventh and Miguel Montero followed with a double for a 5-4 lead.
CARDINALS 4, NATIONALS 1, 6 INNS
In Washington, St Louis won its first game in four by downing Washington in a rain-shortened game.
Adam Wainwright pitched six innings, allowing just the one run. He walked one and struck out seven in what counts as a complete game.
The game, a makeup of a May 3 contest postponed by rain, was called off with one out in the top of the seventh after a 90-minute delay left the field unplayable. There was also a 76-minute stoppage in the fourth inning.
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