Morris Wins His 20th With a 4-Hitter

Jack Morris, locked in a scoreless tie in his bid for his 20th victory of the season, felt a “twinge” in his right shoulder after the first pitch in the ninth inning, but he wasn’t about to come out.

“Nothing was going to get me out of that game,” he said. “I didn’t care how many innings I had to go. I was either going to win it or lose it.”

Morris (20-8) pitched a four-hitter Saturday, becoming the fourth 20-game winner, as Larry Herndon singled home Lou Whitaker from second base in the 10th, lifting the Detroit Tigers to a 1-0 victory over the New York Yankees.

Morris won 20 once before, when he was 20-13 in 1983. “But this year is the best I’ve thrown in my whole career,” he said.

Morris held Don Mattingly hitless in three at-bats and snapped his 24-game hitting streak, the longest in the American League this season. Mattingly’s batting average fell to .348, five points behind American League leader Wade Boggs of Boston.

The loss eliminated the Yankees from the AL East race.

The other 20-game winners this season are Roger Clemens (24-2) of the Boston Red Sox, Fernando Valenzuela of the Dodgers (20-11) and Ted Higuera (20-10) of the Milwaukee Brewers.