Johnson Is Simply Too Tough for Twins

When Randy Johnson’s career is over, he’ll look back and frown at the names Brent Gates, Lance Blankenship and Mike Gallego.

Those are journeymen players who cost the Big Unit no-hitters.

Instead of having four career no-hitters, Johnson has one. At 34, he’s running out of time.

“He was in terrific position to field the ball,” Seattle Manager Lou Piniella said of an eighth-inning single by Gates. “It just went over the top of his glove.”

Unhappy all season because Seattle has refused to extend his contract or trade him, Johnson showed the Mariners--and baseball--he still is one of the game’s most dominant pitchers Thursday night at the Kingdome.

Johnson (9-8) took a no-hitter into the eighth against the Minnesota Twins before losing it on Gates’ single up the middle with one out. Gates, a utility infielder with the Mariners last season, hit a sharp grounder over the mound that Johnson barely missed.

“You’ve got to have a little luck to go along with it too,” Piniella said. “It’s not all stuff. It has a lot to do with it. But the bounces have to go your way.”

It was Johnson’s third career one-hitter, all after he no-hit Detroit in the Kingdome on June 2, 1990. Gallego singled with no outs in the ninth against Johnson for Oakland in the Kingdome on Aug. 14, 1991, and Blankenship had a bloop single with one out in the ninth against Johnson at Oakland May 16, 1993.

The 6-foot-10 left-hander, who hasn’t talked with the media in six weeks--he declined again after the game--and who got into a wrestling match with teammate David Segui last Friday, recorded his second consecutive shutout and the 19th of his career.

He struck out 11, his 94th game with at least that many, and walked three. It was his fifth complete game of the season and the 51st of his career.

Ken Griffey Jr. aided Johnson with his second spectacular, back-to-the-plate catch this week when he caught up with Ron Coomer’s drive near the center-field fence in the second. Coomer shook his head in frustration and fans gave Griffey a standing ovation when he came off the field.

Rookie left fielder Shane Monahan drove in all three runs in his seventh game with the Mariners.

“I don’t know what was said by who earlier in the year about Randy losing his stuff, but I’ll tell you something,” Monahan said. “He hasn’t lost a thing.

“I was hoping we’d get through the ninth without a hit. I just wanted to be part of history.”

Gates’ hit let the Twins avoid being no-hit for the second time this season. David Wells of the New York Yankees pitched a perfect game against Minnesota on May 17.

“It was good to break it up,” Gates said. “No team wants to be no-hit. Randy’s the best pitcher in the American League. It’s fun to watch [when he was Johnson’s teammate], but it’s not a lot of fun being on the other side.”

Brad Radke (9-8) yielded three runs and seven hits in his fifth complete game.

Detroit 3, New York 1--David Cone didn’t question his pitch selection. He did have a problem with the way a couple were thrown.

Luis Gonzalez hit a tiebreaking, single off Cone in the eighth inning as the Tigers beat the Yankees at Detroit.

“It’s tough to second-guess yourself. Instead of second-guessing your pitch selection, you should second-guess the quality of the pitch,” said Cone (13-3), who lost for the first time in more than a month.

Detroit handed the Yankees just their second defeat in 14 games. Despite the loss, the Yankees (67-22) kept pace with the 1902 Pittsburgh Pirates for the best record this century after 89 games.

Brian Moehler (10-6) improved to 9-0 at home and beat the Yankees for the second time this season. The right-hander is the first Tiger pitcher to win his first nine decisions at home in at least 45 years.

“It’s fun going against a guy like that,” Moehler said. “You know every pitch counts. I don’t throw against David Cone. I throw against the hitters. But I knew I couldn’t give up a lot of runs.

“I think everybody expected me to lose. There was no pressure on me.”

Boston 15, Cleveland 5--Maybe Mike Hargrove should have picked Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra for the All-Star game.

Garciaparra went four for four with five RBIs and Troy O’Leary hit a grand slam to lead the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Garciaparra, who hit a three-run homer and two doubles, was bypassed for last week’s All-Star game by Hargrove, the AL manager. The effort by the Red Sox shortstop came one day after Pedro Martinez, the pitcher many felt should have started the All-Star game, threw a four-hit shutout in the series opener.

Neither player has complained publicly. But they did get Hargrove where it hurts.

“I went over this list for a month,” the Indians’ manager said, bristling at the question. “Nomar’s dealt with it. He’s fine with it, and so is [Red Sox manager] Jimy Williams. I don’t understand why people are making more of it than is there. I’m through talking about it.”

Tim Wakefield (11-4) gave up five runs and seven hits to win for the fifth time in six decisions.

Dwight Gooden (3-4) lost for the first time in a month, yielding five runs and seven hits in five innings. He was long gone when the Red Sox, who trailed 4-1 in the fifth, scored seven runs in the eighth inning on seven singles, a double, a walk and a hit batter.

Toronto 5, Chicago 2--Carlos Delgado ended an 0 for 29 slump with two run-scoring singles and Chris Carpenter pitched a strong game to lead the Blue Jays at Chicago.

Delgado, who had been hitless in seven games, longest drought of his career, broke a 2-2 tie with a hit in the fifth, then added another in the seventh to help Toronto snap a four-game losing streak.

Carpenter (6-4) gave up four hits and struck out 10 over eight innings to improve to 5-2 in his last eight starts.

Robin Ventura doubled home Ray Durham and Chris Snopek to give Chicago a 2-0 lead in the first. Shawn Green’s RBI single for the Blue Jays made it 2-1 in the third and Craig Grebeck’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly tied it in the fourth.

Delgado hit his first RBI single in the fifth to go ahead 3-2. With two out and two on in the seventh, Delgado greeted Bryan Ward with an RBI single to make it 4-2.

Grebeck scored from third on a throwing error by pitcher Keith Foulke in the eighth.

Frank Thomas was caught in an embarrassing double play in the White Sox sixth. With one out and Thomas at first after a walk, Albert Belle flied out to the warning track in left. Thomas had nearly reached third when left fielder Jose Canseco caught the ball. He was easily thrown out for a double play.

Oakland 5, Kansas City 3--Right-hander Blake Stein, obtained in last summer’s trade with St. Louis for Mark McGwire, pitched 7 1/3 strong innings and Ryan Christenson had a two-run single to break a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning to lead the A’s at Oakland.

Stein (4-5) yielded two runs and four hits. He retired 14 straight batters before walking Johnny Damon with one out in the eighth, and then was removed from the game.

Mike Mohler got two outs in the eighth and Bill Taylor pitched the ninth for his 21st save.