A Near No-Hitter for Colon

Sitting alone, Bartolo Colon could tell something special was happening. It was stone silent on the Cleveland bench Monday night at Yankee Stadium.

“I could feel they were getting caught up in the game, just like I was,” he said of the baseball tradition of team members being silent while their pitcher has a no-hitter.

Bidding to become the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter against the New York Yankees in 42 years, he barely missed. Colon wound up with a one-hitter, allowing only Luis Polonia’s eighth-inning single, and struck out 13 as the Indians beat the Yankees, 2-0.

“I think once you get five, six innings of no-hit ball in, you can start to feel the adrenaline,” losing pitcher Roger Clemens said. “You can see the finish line.”

A highlight came in the second inning when center fielder Kenny Lofton reached over the wall to rob Jorge Posada of a home run.

Colon was trying to throw the first no-hitter against the Yankees since knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm did it in 1958 at Baltimore.

Polonia, a friend of Colon’s since they were teammates in the Dominican Republic, slapped a sharp grounder up the middle with one out in the eighth.

Colon, through an interpreter, said, “I felt like I’d gotten punched in the chest.”

Colon (14-8) walked one in ending a nine-game winning streak by Clemens (13-7).

The Indians held their one-half game lead over Oakland in the wild-card race. The Yankees’ magic number for clinching the American League East remained at eight.

Cleveland outscored the Yankees, 31-11, in winning three times in this four-game series. The Indians now move on to Boston, where they play five games in three days at Fenway Park.

Oakland 12, Baltimore 3--Jason Giambi had two RBIs to increase his total to 126 and break Jose Canseco’s 1988 Oakland record of 124 as the Athletics routed the Orioles at Baltimore.

“It’s exciting,” Giambi said, “but I have other things to get this year. I want to make it to postseason.”

Giambi hit an RBI single in the first off Pat Rapp (8-12) and a solo homer in the sixth.

Oriole right fielder Brady Anderson was ejected by home plate umpire Jerry Meals in the fifth inning for arguing balls and strikes.

Seattle 4, Tampa Bay 3--Jay Buhner hit a one-out, ground-rule double in the ninth inning and Stan Javier added a pinch-hit double as the Mariners won at St. Petersburg, Fla.

Buhner’s hit got stuck on the overhanging catwalk 150 feet above the playing surface.

It was just the second fair ball to remain on a catwalk at the park. Jose Canseco also accomplished the feat on May 22, 1999.

Detroit 5, Chicago 2--Jeff Weaver, 0-3 since Aug. 29, allowed three hits in eight innings at Detroit as the Tigers beat the White Sox for only the third time in 10 games this season.

“He looked determined to finish that ballgame out,” Detroit Manager Phil Garner said of Weaver (10-14).

Todd Jones pitched a perfect ninth for his American League-leading 40th save in 43 chances.

Weaver retired the first 13 batters he faced before Carlos Lee walked on 16 pitches in the fifth, fouling off 10. Paul Konerko homered on the next pitch to give Chicago a 2-1 lead.

With two on in the seventh, Juan Gonzalez’s infield single and catcher Charles Johnson’s error accounted for two runs. Damion Easley had a two-run triple in the eighth.

Minnesota 3, Texas 1--Joe Mays, recalled from the minor leagues Saturday, allowed one run in 5 1/3 innings at Minneapolis.