No-Hitter, the Yankee Way: Hawkins’ Gem Is a 4-0 Loss : Baseball: Two eighth-inning outfield errors in swirling winds pave the way for a White Sox victory as season’s sixth no-hitter goes for naught.

Even a no-hitter couldn’t produce a victory for the worst team in baseball.

Andy Hawkins of the New York Yankees pitched the sixth no-hitter this season and the third in less than 48 hours on Sunday, but lost 4-0 to the Chicago White Sox on two outfield errors in the eighth inning.

The only other pitcher to lose a complete-game, no-hitter was Houston’s Ken Johnson, who was beaten, 1-0, by Cincinnati in 1964. In 1967, Steve Barber and Stu Miller of Baltimore combined to no hit Detroit but lost 2-1.

“I’m stunned,” Hawkins said. “When you pitch a no-hitter, you expect jubilation. You expect to walk off the field shaking hands with everybody, just like Stewart and Fernando.”

On Friday night, Dave Stewart of the Oakland Athletics and Fernando Valenzuela of the Dodgers pitched no-hitters. It was the first time in major league history that no-hitters were pitched in each league on the same day.

Hawkins, the former San Diego Padre who hasn’t won since May 6 and nearly was released by the Yankees last month, joined Stewart and Valenzuela in the record book Sunday--with an asterisk.

“It’s a day of mixed emotions,” Hawkins said. “I’m happy as can be on one side and I’m 1-5 on the other. I’ve pitched well in my last four starts and have nothing to show for it, but that will change sooner or later.”

With the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth, Robin Ventura hit a deep fly to left fielder Jim Leyritz, normally a third baseman. Leyritz was positioned to make the catch, but the ball glanced off his glove for a two-base error, allowing three runs to score.

The next batter, Ivan Calderon, hit a fly to right that Jesse Barfield lost in the sun. The ball bounced off his glove and Ventura scored to give the White Sox a 4-0 lead.

Barfield and Leyritz said the sun and swirling winds made outfield play difficult.

“It was brutal out there,” Barfield said. “I knew I was in trouble when the ball was hit. I saw it going up and I tried to stay with it as long as I could. I almost caught it. I did my best.”

“The ball was hit right at me and I made the wrong move,” Leyritz said. “I tried to catch up to it and I did, but I couldn’t hold it in my glove. You hate to lose a no-hitter. Andy came up to me later and told me not to worry about it. Those things happen.”

Especially to the Yankees, who fell to 28-45, the worst record in baseball. They are in last place in the AL East, 15 games behind first-place Boston.

“I’ve never seen anything so strange in all my years,” Yankees manager Stump Merrill said. “You’re just not going to see a better pitching performance.”

The six no-hitters this year are the most in the majors in one season since 1969 and the second most ever in one season. There were seven no-hitters in 1917 and 1908, although John Lush’s in 1908 went only six innings.

With two outs and nobody on in the eighth, Sammy Sosa hit a hard one-hopper to third baseman Mike Blowers. He backhanded the ball, but drpped it and his throw to first was too late to catch a sliding Sosa. The scoreboard flashed “Hit” before the official scorer ruled an error.

“It was an error all the way,” Blowers said. “At the time it seemed pretty harmless.”

It wasn’t.

Hawkins loaded the bases by walking Ozzie Guillen and Lance Johnson before the two outfield errors. The inning ended on a popup to short by Dan Pasqua.

The last Yankee no-hitter was by Dave Righetti on July 4, 1983, against Boston. Hawkins’ gem was the ninth regular-season no-hitter in Yankee history. Don Larsen threw a perfect in the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers.

“Hawkins did a great job,” said White Sox manager Jeff Torborg, who caught three no-hitters in the majors. “I’ve never seen a losing no-hitter before.”

Ken Johnson has--because he pitched one for the Houston Colt 45s in 1964.

“I’m sorry to hear he joined me,” Johnson said Sunday from his home in Louisiana. “I was very happy being the only man to lose a no-hitter.”

While Hawkins retired the first 14 White Sox batters, Chicago starter Greg Hibbard did even better, setting down the first 16 Yankees.

The first Yankee to reach base was Bob Geren, who singled off third baseman Ventura’s glove with one out in the sixth. Alvaro Espinosa followed with another single, but Roberto Kelly popped out and Steve Sax took a third strike.

Hawkins retired the first 14 before Ron Karkovice walked with two outs in the fifth. Karkovice took second on a passed ball and Scott Fletcher walked. Sosa then flied deep to left, where Leyritz backed up against the wall to make the catch.

The last time the White Sox were no hit was April 7, 1984, when Detroit’s Jack Morris beat them 4-0. In 1901, Earl Moore of Cleveland pitched a no-hitter against the White Sox but lost 4-2 in 10 innings.

* KEN JOHNSON: Former Houston pitcher remembers his no-hit loss. Larry Stewart’s story, C8.