Another Walk in Park for Nomo and Red Sox

Hideo Nomo already has a no-hitter this season, so a one-hitter wasn’t a shock. Allowing no walks for the first time this season might have been.

He spiced up his one-hit complete game with a season-high 14 strikeouts and faced just one batter over the minimum as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-0, Friday night at Boston.

“I know he had a no-hitter but, to me, that was a much more impressive game,” Boston Manager Jimy Williams said.

Shannon Stewart’s clean leadoff double to left-center in the fourth was the only hit for a Toronto team that’s fourth in the American League in runs. Only one other ball--Tony Batista’s routine fly to left to end the second--went out of the infield.

Of the other 26 batters, 14 struck out, 11 hit groundouts and one popped out to Nomo (5-3).

The victory put Boston in first place in the East, a half-game ahead of New York. The Yankees had taken the spot by defeating the Red Sox on Thursday. Toronto fell 2 1/2 games behind.

Nomo spotted his fastball on both sides of the plate, making his other pitches more effective, particularly his forkball.

“I concentrated on only one thing, the catcher and his mitt,” Nomo said.

He entered the game tied for the AL lead with 31 walks. But he issued one walk in his previous start and none Friday.

“He just decided he wasn’t going to walk any more people,” Boston pitching coach Joe Kerrigan said. “He told us that two weeks ago. He decided that so he could pitch more innings.”

Nomo struck out seven in a row--three less than Tom Seaver’s major league record and one less than the AL mark--before Jose Cruz Jr. grounded out to end the eighth.

Cleveland 6, New York 4--Jim Thome hit a two-run homer, Juan Gonzalez and Jacob Cruz had solo shots at Cleveland and the Indians passed their first tough test this season.

Facing their first opponent with a winning record since the season’s second week, the Indians pounded New York starter Orlando Hernandez (0-5) and improved to 20-6 since April 26 to move into first place in the AL Central.

Oakland 4, Minnesota 2--Mark Mulder and Jason Giambi knocked the Twins out of first place in the Central for the first time this season.

Mulder (6-2) gave one run and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings at Minneapolis to become the second left-hander to defeat the Twins in nine starts. Giambi had two doubles and a single for the A’s, who have won eight of their last nine.

Seattle 9, Kansas City 6--Edgar Martinez had four hits and the Mariners scored the tying and go-ahead runs at Kansas City, Mo., on Royal throwing errors in the eighth.

The Mariners (34-12) scored two runs in the fourth, two in the seventh and two in the eighth to erase a 6-1 lead the Royals had taken with a six-run third off John Halama.

Baltimore 7, Texas 6--Jeff Conine came within a homer of the cycle and scored three runs at Baltimore as the Orioles won their season-high fourth consecutive.

Conine doubled in the second inning, hit an RBI single in the third and tripled in the fifth. Batting in the seventh with a chance to become the first Oriole to hit for the cycle since Cal Ripken in 1984, Conine drew a four-pitch walk from Tim Crabtree.

Chicago 8, Detroit 4--Ray Durham’s three-run double off Todd Jones (2-3) highlighted a six-run ninth inning that gave the White Sox the victory at Detroit.

The White Sox, who trailed 4-0 in the game, have won two consecutive after dropping the first eight games on a 12-game trip.