Nearly perfect: Karstens outduels Big Unit
Baseball Betting Lines
08/06/2008 -
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Karstens took a perfect game into the
eighth inning before surrendering a double to Chris Young with two outs, but
recovered to throw a two-hit shutout in Pittsburgh's 2-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the finale of a three-game series.
Karstens (2-0) retired the first 23 batters before Young lined a 1-1 pitch
into the left field corner in the eighth. Karstens recovered to get out of the
inning on the next pitch, however, and survived a single and a walk in the
ninth to pick up his second win in as many starts since joining the Pirates.
One of the four players acquired by Pittsburgh in the deal that sent Xavier
Nady and Damaso Marte to the Yankees on July 26, Karstens tossed six shutout
innings against the NL Central-leading Cubs in his National League debut on
August 1, a 3-0 Pirates win.
That was merely a prelude to Wednesday, when the 25-year-old right-hander
fanned four against the NL West-leading Diamondbacks and nearly tossed the
18th perfect game in major league history, and the first in Pirates history.
In doing so Karstens outdueled the man who tossed the last perfect game in the
majors, Randy Johnson. Johnson (9-8) was strong, but not strong enough,
surrendering seven hits and two runs in 7 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts
and no walks for Arizona, which failed to sweep the three-game set.
"Jeff pitched outstanding," said Johnson, who was Karstens' teammate with the
Yankees. "I got to meet him a little bit when he was in New York on that
shuttle up and down ... He opened a lot of eyes."
Freddy Sanchez's solo homer and an RBI double by Doug Mientkiewicz provided
the offense for the Pirates, who stemmed a four-game slide.
After the Pirates added an insurance run in the eighth, Karstens saw his bid
for perfection end in the home half. Chad Tracy's hard liner to center was
nabbed by Jason Michaels, and Chris Gomez recovered from a bobble on Mark
Reynolds' grounder to throw across for the second out.
Young laced a double into left, though, ensuring that his teammate Johnson
remained the last pitcher to toss a perfect game.
"It wasn't really nerves," said Karstens of Young's double. "It was one of
those things and he (Young) stayed on a pitch and hit it down the line. Major
league hitters are going to do that."
Karstens came right back and got Alex Romero to ground out to second to keep
the shutout in line.
Karstens issued his only walk to pinch-hitter Augie Ojeda to lead off the
ninth, but came back to get pinch-hitter Tony Clark to ground right back to
the mound, starting a 1-6-3 double play. Orlando Hudson's grounder to first
was the last out as Karstens settled for his first career shutout.
"Obviously he was outstanding," Pirates manager John Russell said of Karstens.
"No-hitter in the eighth and he threw the ball as good as he can throw it.
That's what he's capable of doing."
Johnson is the last pitcher, and the oldest to reach perfection, as he was 40
when he accomplished the feat against the Braves on May 18, 2004. His only
mistake through seven innings was an 0-2 slider he hung up and over the plate
to Sanchez with one out and the bases empty in the fourth. Sanchez belted it
into the seats down the line in left for his eighth homer of the season, the
first earned run Johnson had allowed in 24 innings.
The Pirates touched Johnson for another run in the eighth, though, led by none
other than Karstens, who lined a one-out single to left to start the rally.
Gomez's looping pop fell just fair in shallow right to put two men on for
Mientkiewicz, who exchanged words with Johnson after "The Big Unit" was upset
by a late timeout call by Mientkiewicz in a Pirates win in Pittsburgh on June
9.
Mientkiewicz exacted a bit of revenge, as his line-drive double into the
corner in right plated Karstens for a two-run edge, and ended Johnson's day.
Game Notes
The last Pirates no-hitter was a combined effort from Francisco Cordova and
Ricardo Rincon in a 10-inning, 3-0 win over Astros in 1997. John Candelaria
was the last pitcher to throw a no-hitter for the Bucs, in a 2-0 win over the
Dodgers on August 9, 1976...The D-backs are 30-40 in games outside of the NL
West this season, compared to 29-15 against divisional foes. Last season the
club was 54-36 in games outside of the NL West and 36-36 in divisional
games...The Pirates have beaten Johnson five of the last seven times he has
faced the club.
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contest
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