Cone Is Sharp in Return

David Cone was making a dramatic return to the mound Monday, his first start for the New York Yankees since having an aneurysm removed from his pitching arm four months ago. And he was throwing a no-hitter.

As if he needed any extra pressure, every time Cone walked off the mound he caught the eye of his dad--who once upon a time also was his Little League coach.

“I can’t remember a major-league game where I could make eye contact with my dad,” Cone said. “I felt, ‘Oh Geez, there’s my dad,’ and I kept wondering if he was going to yell at me for hanging a pitch or something.”

Cone, coming back from shoulder surgery that some thought might end his season, pitched seven hitless innings in a 5-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics.

His chance to join Mariano Rivera on the first combined no-hitter in the major leagues since 1991 was ruined when Jose Herrera beat out an infield single with one out in the ninth.

Cone, whose fingers were numb and blue after his previous start on May 2, struck out six and walked three before Yankee Manager Joe Torre and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre decided to remove him after 85 pitches.

Cone (5-1) had been on a 100-pitch limit, but allowed two hard-hit balls in the seventh after the Yankees spent a long time at bat while scoring three in the top of the inning.

“If Joe was going to leave the decision to me, I’m going back out there and throwing caution to the wind,” Cone said. “I think Mel and Joe did the right thing, trying to protect me.”

Torre said his decision wasn’t difficult.

“I could not let the no-hitter cloud what we set out to do,” Torre said. “If I leave him in and he throws 105 or 106 pitches and wakes up with a sore arm tomorrow, I’d never forgive myself for that.”

A couple of fine defensive plays in the seventh kept the no-hitter alive. Third baseman Charlie Hayes dived to his right to snare a grounder by Mark McGwire, and Bernie Williams reached over the center-field fence to rob the next batter, Geronimo Berroa, of a homer.

Rivera retired the A’s in order in the eighth and got Mike Bordick on a grounder to shortstop on his first pitch of the ninth.

Herrera, a speedy rookie, then slapped a grounder that went by a diving Hayes at third. Shortstop Derek Jeter made the throw from the outfield grass and first baseman Tino Martinez stretched for it, but Herrera slid head-first into the base with the A’s only hit.

Torre argued with first base umpire Larry McCoy that Herrera failed to beat the throw, but Cone--who showed no emotion in the dugout as Herrera got the hit--said McCoy’s call was correct.

Tony Batista struck out and Jason Giambi hit into a game-ending fielder’s choice.

After a sluggish first inning in which he walked two, Cone overpowered the A’s.

“It didn’t look like he missed a beat at all,” said Scott Brosius, who popped out twice against Cone. “He had movement on the fastball, a good slider. It looked like he hadn’t stepped off the mound. He looked like the Cone of old.”

Cecil Fielder hit his 33rd homer, a solo shot in the eighth, and drove in another run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the sixth. Fielder reached 100 RBIs for the fourth time in his career.

Hayes hit a solo shot as the Yankees scored three in the seventh. It was Hayes’ first homer since joining the Yankees last Friday in a trade with Pittsburgh.