UNDATED (AP) — Triston McKenzie entered Sunday’s action 1-5 with a 5.66 ERA this season before coming within four outs of throwing the majors’ record-setting ninth no-hitter of the season.
McKenzie retired his first 23 hitters in order before Harold Castro singled in the eighth inning of the Indians’ 11-0 rout of the Tigers in Detroit. Fans at Comerica Park gave the 24-year-old right-hander a standing ovation following Castro’s hit and another after he finished the inning with his 11th strikeout.
It would have been the Indians’ first no-hitter since Len Barker’s perfect game in 1981, the longest current no-hit drought in the majors.
Austin Hedges hit a two-run double and Jose Ramirez added a two-run homer while the Indians scored six times in the second inning. Ramirez and Amed Rosario each had three RBIs for Cleveland.
In other MLB action:
— The Twins beat the Rays, 5-4 on Jorge Polanco’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth. Max Kepler finished with two doubles, two walks and three runs scored. Mike Zunino and Wander Franco homered for the Rays, who saw their lead in the AL East cut to three games over the Red Sox.
— J.D. Martinez slammed a three-run homer and the Red Sox completed a three-game sweep with a 6-2 decision over the Orioles. Eduardo Rodriguez improved to 9-0 with a 1.81 ERA in his last 12 starts against Baltimore, allowing an earned run and three hits over six innings. Cedric Mullins ended his 20-game hitting streak and the Birds absorbed their 11th consecutive loss.
— The Yankees took the rubber match of their three-game series with the White Sox, getting two-run homers by Rougned Odor and Luke Voit in a 5-3 victory in Chicago. Nestor Cortes was sharp over six innings, allowing one run and seven hits for his first win since August 2019. Cesar Hernandez had a tough day for the White Sox, committing three errors and hitting into a game-ending double play.
— Second-inning homers by Teoscar Hernández and Randal Grichuk sparked the Blue Jays’ 8-3 win over the Mariners. Corey Dickerson and Marcus Semien both added solo homers late off Seattle reliever Yohan Ramirez. Steven Matz ended a personal three-game losing streak by limiting Seattle to a run and three hits over five innings.
— The Rangers posted a 7-4 win over the Athletics as rookie DJ Peters smacked a pair of two-run homers. Major league rookie home run leader Adolis García hit his 26th for the last-place Rangers, who took the deciding game of the series. Oakland is tied with the Red Sox for the AL wild-card lead.
— The Astros continue to lead the AL West by 2 1/2 games over the A’s following Houston’s 3-1 loss to the Angels. Reid Detmers pitched six innings of three-hit ball to earn his first major league victory. David Fletcher and Jo Adell drove in runs with grounders to back Detmers, who struck out six and gave up one run. Phil Gosselin homered in the eighth and scored twice for Los Angeles.
— The Braves took over first place in the NL East by completing a three-game sweep of the Nationals, 6-5. Dansby Swanson homered for the third straight game, giving him four round-trippers and nine RBIs in the series. Austin Riley also homered and preserved the victory by spearing a hot smash down the third base line with the potential winning run on first for the final out.
— The Phillies are one game behind the Braves after falling for the fourth time in six games since an eight-game winning streak, 7-4 to the Reds. Jonathan India homered and scored three times as Cincinnati took the rubber match of the three-game set. Pinch-hitter Tyler Stephenson smacked a two-run homer while the Reds scored three times in the eighth to take a 7-3 lead.
— Tommy La Stella had three hits and two RBIs for the Giants in a 5-2 win against Colorado. Alex Wood pitched into the seventh inning to win his fifth straight decision. The Giants took three of four from their division rivals and improved to a major league-best 76-42.
— San Francisco’s lead in the NL West remains four games after Max Muncy slammed a pair of two-run homers to help the second-place Dodgers embarrass the Mets, 14-4. Max Scherzer took the mound with a 3-0 lead thanks to a two-run homer by former Mets utilityman Justin Turner and a solo shot by Will Smith, who homered in all three games of the sweep. Scherzer allowed two runs on four hits with seven strikeouts over six frames.
— Fernando Tatis Jr. homered twice and drove in four runs in his return from the injured list, leading the Padres to an 8-2 rout of the Diamondbacks. The 22-year-old Tatis had four hits in helping San Diego snap a four-game losing streak. Jake Cronenworth added a two-run homer for the Padres, who remain 2 1/2 games ahead of Cincinnati for the second NL wild card.
— Willy Adames scored both Brewers runs in a 2-1 win over the Pirates. Adames scored on a throwing error in the first inning and crossed home plate following a sacrifice fly by Christian Yelich, who had two of Milwaukee’s six hits. The Brewers’ bullpen tossed one-hit ball after Eric Lauer was reached for one run over four innings.
— Nolan Arenado homered for the third straight game and the Cardinals completed a Missouri sweep by defeating the Royals, 7-2. Arenado and Tyler O’Neill hit back-to-back homers for the second time in three games, giving St. Louis a seven-run cushion. Arenado went 5 for 12 with three home runs, nine RBIs and four runs in the series.
— The Cubs’ losing streak has reached 11 games after Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jesús Aguilar (AG’-ee-ahr) homered in Miami’s 4-1 verdict over Chicago. Elieser Hernandez permitted one run and four hits in 5 1/3 innings. Chisholm broke a 1-1 tie with a solo shot in the sixth and scored on Aguilar’s 22nd home run of the season.
