Nomo Barely Misses Another No-Hitter

Hideo Nomo’s bid for his second no-hitter in 23 days slipped off the edge of right fielder Darren Lewis’ glove.

Lewis raced in and slid for Torii Hunter’s low drive in the seventh inning of Boston’s 2-0 win over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday night at Boston.

It ticked Lewis’ glove, hit the ground and was ruled a single--the only hit allowed by Nomo--by official scorer Bob Ellis. The crowd booed when the decision was posted on the scoreboard.

“The rules of scoring call for ordinary effort. That was not an ordinary effort,” said Ellis, scoring his first Red Sox game after spending the last five seasons as the scorer for Class-A Lowell of the New York-Penn League. “I felt confident from the moment I saw the play.”

Ellis, a radio host substituting for regular scorer Charles Scoggins from The Sun of Lowell, said he became more sure of his decision after viewing several replays.

Players agreed with the call even though Lewis, an outstanding defensive outfielder, started back before charging in.

“I was fooled by the swing,” Lewis said. “I make that play 99% of the time.”

The Twins had no doubt that the call was correct.

“When a guy dives for a ball and it hits off his glove, it is definitely a hit,” Corey Koskie said.

Having thrown 102 pitches and with his no-hit bid gone, Nomo (3-1) was replaced by Derek Lowe to start the eighth.

Nomo struck out eight and walked five but missed becoming the fifth pitcher since 1900 to throw two no-hitters in a season.

Oakland 16, Chicago 6--A’s third baseman Eric Chavez hit two homers--the second the longest in new Comiskey Park history--and drove in six runs.

Chavez hit a solo homer in the third off Jim Parque, a two-run double in the seventh and a three-run homer in the ninth off Gary Glover, a drive estimated at 500 feet that cleared the right-field bleachers. It was the first multihomer game of Chavez’s career.

Seattle 7, New York 3--Edgar Martinez drove in four runs, including a tiebreaking two-run double in the seventh inning at New York, as the streaking Mariners completed their first sweep of the Yankees in nearly four years.

The Mariners, a major league-best 18-4, have won seven consecutive games and 11 of 12 after sweeping New York for the first time since July 25-27, 1997.

Kansas City 6, Tampa Bay 0--Mac Suzuki threw eight shutout innings at St. Petersburg, Fla., and Dee Brown hit his first major league homer.

Suzuki (2-1) gave up six hits, struck out four and walked one. He was lifted in the ninth after a two-base error by first baseman Mike Sweeney. Jason Grimsley finished up.

Detroit 8, Baltimore 2--With Cal Ripken again on the Oriole bench, Chris Holt bounced back from a bad outing as the Tigers ended a seven-game losing streak at Detroit.

Ripken, who hit a three-run homer in the Orioles’ 6-4 win Wednesday, sat as Manager Mike Hargrove stuck with his new plan to alternate him with Mike Kinkade at third base.

Around the League

Bickering owners of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays have decided to put the team up for sale, a high-ranking baseball official said. The last-place team planned am announcement today, the official said, speaking on the condition he not be identified.