It’s a No-Hitter No One Expected : Baseball: For one game, Scott Erickson erases last year’s embarrassment, as Twins defeat Brewers, 6-0.

Scott Erickson was one of the least likely candidates to throw a no-hitter.

After all, he was baseball’s most hittable starter in 1993 and was a member of the season’s weakest staff.

So, no one was more surprised when he pitched a no-hitter Wednesday night than Erickson.

“I really didn’t feel that good before the game,” he said after pitching Minnesota’s first no-hitter in 27 years in the Twins’ 6-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at the Metrodome.

“I took the field and the first two guys hit bullets and I said, ‘This might be a long night.’ But I got stronger as I went on.”

Matt Walbeck, his catcher, said Erickson was strong, sharp and “awesome.”

“He was in a self-confident rhythm,” Walbeck said. “He threw all his pitches for strikes. His fastball was moving better than usual.”

This from the man who gave up the most hits in the majors last year--and lost the most games (19).

“You see a lot of weird stuff in baseball,” Twin Manager Tim Kelly said.

Erickson (2-3) struck out five and walked four--including two with two outs in the ninth inning. He also hit a batter in throwing the first shutout of the season for the Twins, who entered the game with a 7.41 earned-run average.

“The pitchers have been taking a beating,” said Kent Hrbek, who had a home run. “I wanted it bad for him.”

It was the second no-hitter of the season, following Atlanta’s Kent Mercker on April 8 against the Dodgers. Jim Abbott of the New York Yankees had the most recent AL no-hitter, against Cleveland last Sept. 4.

Erickson burst onto the baseball scene in 1991, winning 20 games in his first full season and helping the Twins win the World Series.

Since then, he has struggled. He was 9-24 in his last 40 starts. And in addition to leading the majors in hits allowed (266) and losses, he was the leader in runs allowed (138).

Erickson’s next start also will come against Milwaukee, but he isn’t thinking about matching Johnny Vander Meer’s mark of consecutive no-hitters.

“Hopefully, I can just have a career,” he said.

He has not won consecutive decisions since September 1992, when he pitched his last complete game.

Erickson entered Wednesday’s game with a 7.48 ERA and opponents were batting .384 against him. Two weeks ago, he gave up 11 hits and 10 runs in a four-inning performance against Seattle. He had a three-game losing streak.

“I haven’t changed anything since my last three starts,” he said. “I had a better slider today, reminiscent of years past.”

Erickson walked Bill Spiers in the fourth, hit John Jaha with a pitch in the sixth and walked Dave Nilsson in the eighth. He walked Spiers and Turner Ward in the ninth before retiring Greg Vaughn on a short fly ball to left to end the game.

“I kind of hung it, actually,” Erickson said of the final pitch.

The crowd of 17,988 stood and cheered when Erickson, as usual, ran to the mound before the ninth inning. As soon as left fielder Alex Cole caught the final ball--narrowly avoiding a collision with shortstop Pat Meares--Erickson was mobbed on the mound.

“It’s fun to get the house back,” Hrbek said. “We only had (17,988) people and they got loud. I was just as nervous as I was in 1987 and 1991.”

Erickson was attending San Jose City College when the Twins won the ’87 World Series. But he drew upon his experience from the ’91 Series to remain calm in Wednesday’s ninth inning, especially after the two walks.

“I tried to pretend it was the first inning,” he said.

Erickson, a former star at Arizona, did not need any special defensive plays to preserve the no-hitter. Even the two first-inning liners, by Alex Diaz and Spiers, were right at fielders. He threw 129 pitches, including 71 strikes, and 15 outs came on grounders as his slider befuddled the Brewers.

“He pitched backwards,” said Kevin Seitzer, who went 0 for 3. “He threw fastballs in breaking-ball situations and breaking balls in fastball situations. I hate it. I don’t like to lose and I don’t like a pitcher doing that to my team.”

Milwaukee had been held hitless only once before in its 25-year history, by Kansas City’s Steve Busby on June 19, 1974.

* CARTER HITS 30: Toronto’s Joe Carter set a major league record with his 30th RBI in April. C3