Nomo Finds His Own Friendly Confines

Whether or not it was the right place, it was certainly the right time for Hideo Nomo.

Nomo, released by two teams already this season, gave up five hits in 6 1/3 innings Sunday in helping pitch the Milwaukee Brewers to a 3-2 victory at San Francisco.

He gave up two runs--one earned--in his first major league appearance since last Sept. 27, when he was pitching for the New York Mets. Nomo struck out six, walked two and left after giving up a run-scoring single to pinch-hitter Brent Mayne in the seventh.

Normally outwardly emotionless, he smiled as he approached the dugout.

“Somebody said something nice to me,” Nomo said. “It feels nice to throw a game in the majors again. I think it was a very good day.”

Few have said nice things to him lately.

Nomo, 30, came to the Dodgers in 1995 after five seasons in Japan and pitched well for them until last season. Then he was released by the Mets during spring training and the Chicago Cubs on April 23. He signed a $250,000, one-year contract with the Brewers on April 29, and it figured that if he couldn’t show he could get people out in a hurry, it might be his last U.S. stop.

He pitched seven shutout innings for the Brewers’ double-A affiliate at Huntsville, Ala., before being brought up to pitch at San Francisco, where he is 4-0 with a 1.21 earned-run average.

He pitched a three-hitter and won at San Francisco last Aug. 26.

“It happens,” he said. “I haven’t changed the way I pitch. I just appreciate the opportunity to pitch in the majors again.”

Bob Wickman got four outs for his sixth save. With the potential tying run on second base, he retired Armando Rios on a game-ending groundout.

Mark Gardner (0-3), who has had a shoulder injury, came off the disabled list and gave up two runs and five hits in five innings.

San Diego 5, Atlanta 0--Sterling Hitchcock (3-1), who beat the Braves twice during last season’s playoffs but had never beaten them in the regular season, took care of that void on his resume by yielding only four hits in eight innings at San Diego.

He also hit his counterpart, Greg Maddux, in the left hip in the third inning, apparently in retaliation for Maddux hitting Hitchcock’s personal catcher, Jim Leyritz, in Game 3 of the National League championship series last October.

Quilvio Veras broke a scoreless tie with a two-run single off Maddux (4-2) in the fifth inning and John Vander Wal hit a three-run homer in the sixth.

Leyritz yelled at Maddux on his way to first base that day, and in spring training this year said, “I’m going to remember that.”

Apparently, there were memories all around, because when Leyritz came to bat leading off the fifth, Maddux threw a two-and-two knockdown pitch. Leyritz grounded out, but singled off Maddux one batter after Vander Wal’s homer.

Pittsburgh 12, St. Louis 9--Pat Meares had his first five-hit game to complete a 10-hit, four-game series for the Pirates at St. Louis.

Meares singled four times and doubled once, driving in two runs and scoring three. He went 10 for 19 in the series, raising his average from .213 to .303.

Brant Brown had a three-run inside-the-park homer in a four-run sixth inning for the Pirates, who took three of four from the Cardinals while outscoring them, 34-16, and outhitting them, 53-26. Pittsburgh has won seven of its last nine games.

Arizona 11, New York 6--Luis Gonzalez extended his Diamondbacks’ team-record hitting streak to 22 games with a three-run homer on the first pitch to him in the first inning at Phoenix.

Jay Bell and Steve Finley also homered for Arizona, which leads the majors in home runs with 49.

Gonzalez was two for three with a double and a sacrifice fly. He had four RBIs and lifted his batting average to .388 as the Diamondbacks took two of three from New York.

Montreal 4, Houston 2--Carl Pavano (2-4) gave up two runs and seven hits in seven innings and Rondell White went three for four for the Expos, who won at Houston.

Ugueth Urbina pitched the ninth inning for his sixth save in eight chances. With runners on second and third, Ken Caminiti hit a game-ending flyout.

Philadelphia 10, Colorado 8--Ron Gant, Rob Ducey and Desi Relaford each hit ninth-inning homers for the Phillies, who rallied after wasting a four-run lead and won at Denver.

Gant’s one-out homer off Dave Veres (1-2) tied the game, 8-8, and Ducey followed two batters later with his third homer of the season. He had four hits.

Dante Bichette’s RBI single with two outs in the eighth inning gave the Rockies an 8-7 lead, but the Phillies came back to complete their first three-game sweep in Colorado since 1994.