Red Sox' Lester hurls no-hitter at Royals

BOSTON - Jon Lester has survived cancer and pitched a World Series clincher for the Boston Red Sox.

Now he can add a no-hitter to his already amazing list of accomplishments.

The 24-year-old lefthander shut down Kansas City, 7-0, last night for the first no-hitter in the majors since Red Sox rookie Clay Buchholz threw one last September.

It was Lester's first major-league complete game. And what a way to do it.

"You don't feel tired in that situation. You've got so much adrenaline going," he said. "I'm sure it will hit me in the morning."

Lester (3-2) allowed just two baserunners, walking Billy Butler in the second inning and Esteban German to open the ninth; he also had an error when he threw away a pickoff attempt.

Lester struck out nine, fanning Alberto Callaspo to end the game before pumping both fists in the air.

Catcher Jason Varitek, who has been behind the plate for a record four no-hitters, lifted his pitcher into the air. Manager Terry Francona gave a long, hard embrace to Lester, who missed the end of the 2006 season after he was found to have a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

"I've been through a lot the last couple of years. He's been like a second dad to me," Lester said. "It was just a special moment right there."

Centerfielder Jacoby Ellsbury made a diving catch of Jose Guillen's line drive to end the fourth - the best defensive play of the night. Lester also got help from first baseman Kevin Youkilis, who made a nice scoop on shortstop Julio Lugo's throw after David DeJesus hit a grounder in the third.

The fans at sold-out Fenway Park held their enthusiasm until the final out of the seventh, rising to their feet when Lester fanned Guillen on a 93-m.p.h. fastball. They remained standing for the entire ninth inning, even as German walked and moved around to third base when Tony Pena Jr. and DeJesus grounded out.

With cameras flashing and the fans screaming at full throat, Callaspo fell behind 0-2. He took a ball and fouled one off before reaching for a high-and-outside, 1-2 fastball to end the game.

"I was trying to do what I could do," Callaspo said. "You had to . . . try to get the bat on the ball."

Lester and Varitek were mobbed by teammates running out of the dugout as the speakers played "Tessie," the victory anthem the Red Sox adopted through two World Series titles in four seasons. Lester was instrumental in the second, less than a year after chemotherapy cured his cancer, when he earned the victory in Game 4 at Colorado to complete the Red Sox' sweep.

"I can't tell you which one means more to me than the other," Lester said. "The World Series is, obviously, the World Series. How many people get to say they've won that? And a no-hitter is a no-hitter. How many people can say they've done that?"

Lester and Jonathan Papelbon combined to one-hit the Royals on July 18, 2006.

Buchholz no-hit the Baltimore Orioles last Sept. 1 in just his second major-league start.

Mel Parnell was the last Red Sox lefty to throw a no-hitter, beating the Chicago White Sox on July 14, 1956.

Kansas City 000 000 000–0 0 1

Boston 005 002 00x–7 5 1

Kansas City AB   R   H   BI   Avg.      Boston AB   R   H   BI   Avg.   

Dejesus cf 4   0   0   0   .269      Ellsbury cf-lf 3   1   1   0   .276

Grudzielank 2b 3   0   0   0   .323      Pedroia 2b 3   1   0   0   .303

Callaspo 2b 1   0   0   0   .293      Ortiz dh 2   1   0   0   .247

AGordon 3b 3   0   0   0   .280      MRamirez lf 3   1   0   1   .299

JGuillen dh 3   0   0   0   .241      Crisp cf 0   0   0   0   .299

Butler 1b 2   0   0   0   .276      Lowell 3b 3   0   0   0   .273

Olivo c 3   0   0   0   .274      Youkilis 1b 4   0   1   1   .327

Teahen rf 3   0   0   0   .263      JDrew rf 3   2   1   0   .282

EGerman lf 2   0   0   0   .103      Varitek c 3   1   2   2   .290

Pena Jr. ss 3   0   0   0   .169      Lugo ss 3   0   0   0   .280

Totals 27   0   0   0         Cora ss 0   0   0   0   .409

Totals 27   7   5   4      

E: Grudzielanek (2), Lester (1). LOB: Kansas City 2, Boston 3. 2B: Youkilis (16). 3B: Ellsbury (2). HR: Varitek (5), off Hochevar. RBIs: MRamirez (28), Youkilis (34), Varitek 2 (17). SB: Ellsbury 2 (18), Pedroia (6). GIDP: Lowell, Youkilis, Lugo. RLSP: Kansas City 2 (Callaspo, Teahen); Boston 3 (Pedroia, JDrew 2). RA: Dejesus, Pena Jr.. DP: Kansas City 3 (AGordon, Grudzielanek and Butler), (Pena Jr., Grudzielanek and Butler), (AGordon, Grudzielanek and Butler).

Kansas City walks (2): Butler, EGerman.

Boston walks (6): Ellsbury, Pedroia, Ortiz 2, MRamirez, Lowell.

Kansas City strikeouts (9): Grudzielanek 2, Callaspo, JGuillen, Butler 2, Olivo 2, EGerman.

Boston strikeouts (4): MRamirez, JDrew, Varitek, Lugo.

Kansas City IP   H   R   ER   BB   SO   NP   ERA   

Hochevar(L) 6   5   7   4   6   2   114   4.29

Peralta 1   0   0   0   0   1   9   5.79

Yabuta 1   0   0   0   0   1   9   6.16

Boston IP   H   R   ER   BB   SO   NP   ERA   

Lester(W) 9   0   0   0   2   9   130   3.41

W: Lester, 3-2. L: Hochevar, 3-3. HBP: by Hochevar (JDrew). Umpires: Home, Brian Knight; First, Marvin Hudson; Second, Tom Hallion; Third, Hunter Wendelstedt. T: 2:30. A: 37,746 (37,400).

TWINS 7, RANGERS 6

MINNEAPOLIS - Howie Clark's single over the head of Josh Hamilton in center field lifted Minnesota over in a game that saw reliever Bobby Korecky become the first Twins pitcher to get a hit in an American League game.

Korecky (1-0) also picked up his first career victory by getting two outs in the top of the 11th with the bases loaded and then pitching a perfect 12th in a game he'll never forget.

Carlos Gomez led off the 12th with a check-swing infield single off Franklyn German and went to second base on Delmon Young's groundout. Mike Lamb was intentionally walked to set up a force play, but Clark lined the ball over a drawn in outfield to give Minnesota just its second victory in its last seven games.

Both teams squandered one-out bases loaded opportunities in the 11th inning.

Minnesota 001 301 001 001–7 13 2

Texas AB   R   H   BI   Avg.      Minnesota AB   R   H   BI   Avg.   

Kinsler 2b 6   1   1   1   .298      Kinsler 2b 4   1   1   3   .143

MiYoung ss 6   1   1   0   .282      b-Monroe ph 0   1   0   0   .247

Hamilton cf 6   1   2   1   .319      Nathan p 0   0   0   0   ---

Bradley dh 6   2   2   1   .321      Rincon p 0   0   0   0   ---

DaMurphy rf 6   0   1   1   .280      Korecky p 1   0   1   0   1000

Boggs lf 5   1   1   0   .243      BHarris dh-ss 5   1   3   0   .262

Catalanotto 1b 5   0   3   0   .275      Mauer c 5   0   2   2   .319

2-Duran pr 0   0   0   0   .167      Morneau 1b 4   0   0   0   .299

Shelton 1b 0   0   0   0   .200      Cuddyer cf-rf 6   0   0   0   .226

Sltalamacchia c 3   0   1   2   .205      Kubel rf 4   1   2   0   .252

RVazquez 3b 4   0   0   0   .316      1-CaGomz pr-cf 2   1   1   0   .271

Totals 47   6   12   6         DYoung lf 5   1   1   0   .284

Lamb 3b 4   0   0   1   .218

Everett ss 3   1   1   0   .191

a-Redmond ph 1   0   0   0   .154

Clark 2b 2   0   1   1   .333

Totals 46   7   13   7      

One out when winning run scored.a-grounded out for Everett in the 9th. b-walked for Casilla in the 9th.1-ran for Kubel in the 8th. 2-ran for Catalanotto in the 11th. E: Hamilton (3), DYoung (2), Bonser (1). LOB: Texas 8, Minnesota 13. 2B: Bradley (12), Catalanotto 2 (10), Clark (2). 3B: DYoung (3). HR: Kinsler (1), off Feldman; Kinsler (4), off Bonser; Hamilton (11), off Bonser. RBIs: Kinsler (21), Hamilton (50), Bradley (26), DaMurphy (29), Sltalamacchia 2 (6), Kinsler 3 (3), Mauer 2 (18), Lamb (17), Clark (1). SF: Lamb. GIDP: Bradley. RLSP: Texas 6 (Kinsler 2, MiYoung 3, RVazquez); Minnesota 7 (Cuddyer 6, Lamb). RA: Sltalamacchia, DYoung. DP: Minnesota 2 (Cuddyer, Everett and Morneau), (Clark, BHarris and Morneau).

Texas walks (3): Sltalamacchia 2, RVazquez.

Minnesota walks (7): Monroe, BHarris, Mauer, Morneau 2, DYoung, Lamb.

Texas strikeouts (10): Kinsler 2, MiYoung 2, Hamilton, Bradley, DaMurphy 2, Sltalamacchia, RVazquez.

Minnesota strikeouts (6): Mauer, Morneau 2, CaGomez, Lamb, Everett.

Texas IP   H   R   ER   BB   SO   NP   ERA   

Feldman 6   7   5   5   2   2   101   4.10

Guardado 1   0   0   0   0   0   13   3.97

Benoit(H) 1   1   0   0   1   2   24   4.79

CWilson(BS) 1   1   1   1   2   0   19   5.03

FFrancisco 2   2   0   0   1   2   36   2.51

FGerman(L) 1/3   2   1   1   1   0   16   2.50

Minnesota IP   H   R   ER   BB   SO   NP   ERA   

Bonser 61/3   6   4   3   0   5   79   5.25

Guerrier(H) 2/3   1   1   1   0   1   16   3.86

DReyes(BS) 1/3   2   1   1   0   1   9   1.42

Crain 12/3   1   0   0   1   1   17   4.02

Nathan 1   1   0   0   0   0   5   1.50

Rincon 1/3   1   0   0   2   0   20   3.63

Korecky(W) 12/3   0   0   0   0   2   25   2.57

W: Korecky, 1-0. L: FGerman, 1-3. H: Benoit, 8. H: Guerrier, 5. BS: DReyes, 1. BS: CWilson, 2.

Guerrier pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. IR-S: Korecky 3-0, Guerrier 2-0, DReyes 1-1, Crain 1-0. IBB: off FGerman (Lamb) 1. WP: Feldman, CWilson. Umpires: Home, Tim Tschida; First, Jim Joyce; Second, Jeff Nelson; Third, Adrian Johnson.

T: 4:00. A: 16,680 (46,632).