LOS ANGELES: Josh Beckett retired 23 consecutive batters on his way to the first no-hitter of the season and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies yesterday.
“It’s something that you certainly think about throughout your career, but very few people have been able to do it,” Beckett said after throwing 128 pitches, striking out six and walking three in his first career no-hitter.
“To be completely honest with you, I was just waiting for them to get a hit. You don’t think at this point in your career that you’re gonna do that.”
Beckett’s pitch count had climbed to 100 through seven innings, but the three-time All-Star and former World Series MVP wanted to go the distance.
“I went to check on him after seven, and he’s like ‘You’re not taking me out’,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. “He was talking about the no-hitter the whole time.”
The 34-year-old Texan’s no-hitter was the first for the Dodgers since Hideo Nomo in 1996.
Since the beginning of 2010, there have been 20 no-hitters in baseball, including the postseason. Sunday also was the 11th no-hitter in Los Angeles Dodgers history.
In other game, Masahiro Tanaka pitched a strong game to help lead the New York Yankees to a decisive victory over the White Sox in Derek Jeter’s final regular-season game in Chicago.
Tanaka pitched 6 2/3 innings while giving up just one run on five hits while striking out six in his first start.REUTERS
