Abbott Gets a Lot of Help in No-Hitter : Baseball: Defensive plays by infield and support from catcher give former Angel a lift against the Indians, 4-0.

The man and the moment were made for this. Ever since opening day at Yankee Stadium, the fans wanted to warm to Jim Abbott. To the street guys who are baseball fans, he’s the guy who overcame the odds.

Abbott came up big on that sun-splashed April 12, throwing a complete game 4-0 victory before a rocking crowd of 56,704. Since then, he struggled more often than not. He would be harsh on himself as he fell short of his own expectations. So Saturday was sweet redemption.

In a September during which the Yankees will need Abbott to be in top form, he started his baseball month with a no-hitter. In a 4-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians, who knocked him out in the fourth inning last Sunday at Cleveland, Abbott (10-11) provided fresh hope in that marathon struggle with the Blue Jays.

As teammates swarmed around the 25-year-old left-hander, grabbing and hugging him as he came off the mound, the Yankees knew they would lose no further ground to Toronto this day. He had pitched the eighth no-hitter by a Yankee and the first in Yankee Stadium since Dave Righetti’s against Boston on July 4, 1983.

“I don’t know whether to feel supremely confident or supremely thankful,” Abbott said. He knew he hadn’t been overpowering. There had been several hard-hit balls right at fielders, and Wade Boggs had made a special play.

“You don’t pitch for a no-hitter, you pitch for a win,” Abbott said. “No-hitters can come and go and they’re very nice, but I’d like to get to the playoffs.”

Make no mistake, he was pumped at the finish. He high-fived every teammate who offered one. He shared a special moment of joy with Matt Nokes, who has become the “other” Yankee catcher but was Abbott’s man this day.

“I thought of Matt Nokes,” Abbott said when asked about that final out. “I was really happy it happened with him. He was trying to pump me up early in the game, telling me ‘nice pitches.’ He was the first person I thought of.”

The Indians hit 15 grounders for 17 outs. Abbott struck out three and walked five. Most of the balls hit hard were in the first six innings. Jim Thome lined out twice. Rookie Manny Ramirez hit a fifth-inning short-hop liner that shortstop Randy Velarde stayed with and turned into a double play.

They were playing solid defense for Abbott, and he had his lead. The Yankees scored three runs against Bob Milacki (0-1) in the third. Velarde homered for the final run in the fifth.

Abbott probably was at his best in the three final innings. Boggs stirred the crowd of 27,225 with his play in the seventh. Albert Belle sent a medium-speed one-out grounder toward the hole between third and short.

“I was shading Belle toward the line and the ball split Randy and me,” Boggs said. “It was go until you can’t go any more. Then you dive. It was a desperate effort and it turned out for the best. He’s got the no-hitter, so why not try?”

Boggs bounced to his feet and threw Belle out by a step. It had been Boggs who struck out for the final out of Righetti’s no-hitter.

“That was my flashback moment, Wade making the last out and then making the great play today,” said Don Mattingly. “It was kind of appropriate.”

Said Abbott: “The seventh inning my arm started feeling a little tired. In the eighth and ninth I didn’t feel tired at all.”

Leadoff hitter Kenny Lofton was the first batter in the ninth, and he bunted the first pitch foul. Lofton wound up bouncing a 1-and-2 pitch over the mound and Mike Gallego, charging in from second, made a neat pickup and threw on to first for the out.

Felix Fermin was next. The count went to 2-and-2 and Fermin fouled off a pitch. He made good contact with the next one, sending it to deep left-center. Center fielder Bernie Williams ran it down near the edge of the warning track.

So it was down to Carlos Baerga, the best pure hitter on the Indians. There was a called strike, then Baerga grounded it not too briskly to Velarde.

It was time for Abbott to hug his catcher.