Skip to content
Phillies
Link copied to clipboard

Cubs' Lilly has no-hitter broken up in ninth inning

Ted Lilly took a no-hitter into the ninth inning before pinch-hitter Juan Pierre led off with a single, and the host Chicago Cubs held on to beat the White Sox, 1-0, last night.

Ted Lilly took a no-hitter into the ninth inning before pinch-hitter Juan Pierre led off with a single, and the host Chicago Cubs held on to beat the White Sox, 1-0, last night.

White Sox starter Gavin Floyd flirted with a no-hitter of his own for the White Sox before Alfonso Soriano doubled with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Chad Tracy followed with a single, producing the game's only run.

That took care of Floyd's no-hit bid - but Lilly was still going and the tension began to mount as he inched closer to the 14th no-hitter in Cubs history and first since Carlos Zambrano's gem against Houston on Sept. 14, 2008, in Milwaukee.

Fans booed loudly when the Gordon Beckham of the White Sox tried to bunt for a hit in the eighth. He fouled it off and wound up popping out for the second out. The crowd roared after Jayson Nix popped out to end the inning.

But Lilly couldn't close it out.

Pierre, batting for Floyd in the ninth, lined an 0-1 pitch to center for a clean single that chased Lilly, who left to a standing ovation but showed little emotion on his way to the dugout. He also took a no-hitter into the eighth for the Yankees at Seattle on April 27, 2002, losing it on Desi Relaford's RBI single.

In other interleague games:

* At New York, Jorge Posada hit a grand slam for the second straight day, Robinson Cano connected for his 100th career homer and the New York Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros with a 9-5 win.

* At St. Petersburg, Fla., Chris Volstad (4-6) pitched six solid innings to stop a personal six-game winless streak and the Florida Marlins got two RBI from rookie Mike Stanton in a 6-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

* At Cincinnati, Zack Greinke (2-8) struck out 12 in a five-hitter, to end a personal four-start skid and lead the Kansas City Royals to a 7-3 victory over the Reds.

* At Detroit, Miguel Cabrera hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the eighth inning to lift the Tigers to a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

* At Baltimore, David Wright hit two homers, Chris Carter and Jason Bay also connected, and the New York Mets beat the Orioles, 11-4, for a three-game sweep.

* At Milwaukee, Colby Lewis (6-4) scattered three hits over eight innings and added a key two-out single with the bases loaded to lead the Texas Rangers to a 7-2 win over the Brewers.

* At Minneapolis, Troy Glaus homered twice, had three RBI, and tied a career high with four hits to power the Atlanta Braves past the Minnesota Twins, 7-3.

* At Denver, Jeff Francis (2-2) pitched seven innings to earn his first home win in 2 years and Ryan Spilborghs homered twice as the Colorado Rockies beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 10-3, to complete a three-game series sweep. Francis missed last season after undergoing shoulder surgery.

* At San Diego, Felix Hernandez (5-4) came within one out of a complete game, Jose Lopez doubled in the go-ahead run and the Seattle Mariners snapped a five-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over the Padres.

* At San Francisco, Aubrey Huff hit a pair of two-run homers, Matt Cain (6-4) won his fourth straight decision and the Giants beat the Oakland Athletics, 6-2, to complete a three-game series sweep.

* At Los Angeles, Hideki Matsui had three hits and drove in two runs, Jered Weaver (6-3) pitched into the seventh inning and the Angels swept an interleague Freeway Series at Dodger Stadium for the first time with a 6-5 victory.

In a National League game:

* At Phoenix, Chris Young hit two home runs, including a two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth inning that gave the Arizona Diamondbacks a 7-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Noteworthy

* Brian McNamee told federal investigators that Roger Clemens' nonprofit organization paid him for his training services, including providing the seven-time Cy Young Award winner with performance-enhancing drugs, the New York Times reported on its website. McNamee told authorities investigating Clemens for perjury that the payments were made from the Roger Clemens Foundation from 1998-2001, according to several people briefed on the investigation, the Times reported. Clemens' lawyer, Rusty Hardin disputed McNamee's claims.