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Its been a tough road for us - wh3171 - 01-17-2020
PHILADELPHIA -- Josh Beckett started talking about throwing a no-hitter in the fourth inning, ignoring traditional superstitions and making his catcher nervous in the process. Cristian Pache Jersey . The big, folksy Texan had stuff that was too dominant to worry about a jinx. Beckett pitched the first no-hitter of his stellar career and the first in the majors this season, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Philadelphia Phillies 6-0 on Sunday. A year ago, Beckett was nearly derailed by a nerve condition that left him unable to feel his fingertips. On this day, he was downright nasty. "I was joking about it because I was waiting for them to get a hit," Beckett said. "You dont think at this point of your career that youre going to do that. I just dont feel that my stuff is good enough to do that. Im probably as hard on myself as anybody." Beckett stuck out six, walked three and didnt come close to allowing a hit against a lineup that included two former NL MVPs and four former All-Stars. Beckett has credentials, too: A three-time All-Star, he also was a World Series MVP. The 34-year-old right-hander threw 128 pitches. He fanned five-time All-Star Chase Utley on a called strike three to end the game. "Its very special. It takes really good defence behind you, a little luck sprinkled in and making pitches when you need to make pitches," Beckett said. "Thats a good-hitting team you dont take lightly." Beckett mixed a sharp fastball with a slow, deceptive curve that kept hitters off-balance while retiring 23 straight batters at one stretch. He pitched the Dodgers first no-hitter since Hideo Nomo beat Colorado at Coors Field in 1996, and the 21st in franchise history. Sandy Koufax threw four. "I knew he had something special going early," catcher Drew Butera said. "I was a nervous wreck from the fourth inning on when he said he had never taken one this far. Hes a guy who is going to keep it loose and he didnt want anybody to be thinking about it." Beckett pitched the first no-hitter in the majors since Miamis Henderson Alvarez did it against Detroit on the final day of the 2013 season. Beckett also became the first visiting pitcher to throw a no-hitter in Philadelphia since Montreals Bill Stoneman stopped the Phillies on April 17, 1969, at Connie Mack Stadium. All of the defensive plays behind Beckett were routine. Domonic Brown had the hardest out, a liner that left fielder Carl Crawford ran down near the warning track in the fifth. Beckett sat at the end of the bench, next to a security guard, as the Dodgers batted in the ninth inning, before taking the mound in his bid for history. "It was awesome. You think about it pretty much from the fourth on. Im not one of those guys that carried a lot of no-hitters deep into games," he said. Becketts longest previous bid was 6 2-3 innings before allowing a single to Detroits Curtis Granderson on June 3, 2009. Beckett retired pinch-hitter Tony Gwynn Jr. on a popup to shortstop to start the ninth. Speedy Ben Revere followed with a grounder that first baseman Adrian Gonzalez fielded, and he flipped to Beckett covering the bag for the second out. "It was the most excited Ive ever been playing defence," Gonzalez said. Jimmy Rollins was up next, and Beckett walked him on a full-count pitch. That brought up Utley, and when the count when to 3-2, Butera went to the mound to talk to Beckett. Beckett then threw a 94 mph fastball that Utley looked at, and plate umpire Brian Knight called strike three to end it. "I knew he wasnt expecting me to throw a fastball down the middle," Beckett said. A pitch before striking out, Utley took a few steps toward first base when he thought a 3-1 delivery was ball four. Instead, it was strike two. Utley left the clubhouse before reporters arrived. "He had real good stuff right down to the final batter," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "Our best hitter not swinging at the last two strikes is an indicator right there." Beckett walked off the mound, pumped his fist and was mobbed by teammates. He got a standing ovation from the crowd of 36,141 at Citizens Bank Park on his way to the dugout. "That was a lot of fun," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "Hes been throwing well all year and his breaking ball and change keep getting better." Last July, Beckett had a rib removed in thoracic outlet syndrome surgery to fix a condition that was affecting his right arm. He went 0-5 with a 5.19 ERA in eight games in 2013. Beckett (3-1) started this season on the disabled list with a thumb injury, raising more doubts about how effective he would be for a team with post-season expectations. "I just wanted to help the team," he said. "You always want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem." Beckett was the MVP of the 2003 World Series for the Marlins, capping off their championship run by pitching a five-hit shutout in the clinching Game 6 at Yankee Stadium. Roy Halladay had the only other no-hitter at cozy Citizens Bank Park, doing it for the Phillies in a 4-0 playoff win over Cincinnati on Oct. 6, 2010. In 1988, Pascual Perez of the Expos held the host Phillies hitless for five innings at Veterans Stadium before the game was stopped because of rain. A Major League Baseball committee later ruled that no-hitters of less than nine innings didnt officially count. Beckett walked Utley in the first and Marlon Byrd in the second before retiring 23 straight batters. Beckett threw a one-hitter for the Red Sox at Tampa Bay on June 15, 2011. He allowed an infield single to current Phillies utilityman Reid Brignac in the third inning of a 3-0 win. The Phillies were shut out for the fourth time in their last seven home games and seventh time this season. Phillies righty A.J. Burnett (3-4) allowed four earned runs and 11 hits in seven innings in a matchup against his former Marlins teammate. Burnett is 1-3 with a 6.26 in his last four starts. Gonzalezs RBI double to right-centre with two outs in the first gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. Justin Turner led off the second with a solo homer to straightaway centre that just cleared the wall to make it 2-0. Turner singled and scored on Erisbel Arruebarrenas two-out single in the sixth, giving the Dodgers a 3-0 lead. Sandberg allowed Burnett to lead off the bottom of the sixth instead of pinch-hitting for him with a 3-0 deficit. Burnett grounded out and then allowed three runs in the seventh. Beckett followed Burnett as one of the prized young arms in Florida a decade ago. It was the fifth time theyve faced each other and first matchup since Aug. 7, 2009, when Beckett was in Boston and Burnett pitched for the Yankees. New York won that game 2-0 in the 15th inning. NOTES: Dodgers SS Hanley Ramirez remained out of the lineup because of a sore calf. ... The Phillies placed 3B Cody Asche on the DL with a left hamstring strain. ... Dodgers CF Matt Kemp, the 2011 NL MVP runner-up, wasnt in the starting lineup for the third straight game. Manager Don Mattingly said Kemp will start playing some LF. The Dodgers finished a nine-game road trip with a 5-4 record. Theyre 18-11 on the road, 9-13 at home. ... The Dodgers return home to start a three-game series vs. Cincinnati on Monday. LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (4-3) goes for LA against RHP Johnny Cueto (4-3). ... For the Phillies, RHP Kyle Kendrick (0-5) faces Colorados Jhoulys Chacin (0-3) in the opener of a three-game set Monday. A. J. Minter Jersey . Murakami gracefully executed a double triple toe jump and a triple flip jump that put her at the top of a tightly contested race with 64.73 points, just ahead of Li Zijun of China on 62. Charlie Culberson Jersey . Down 2-1 after Rick Nash scored on a penalty shot, the Oilers ran off four unanswered goals in the remainder of the second period on the way to a 6-3 victory on Sunday. http://www.custombravesjersey.com/custom-steve-avery-jersey-large-527z.html . Rockhold." Known as an aggressive striker, Belfort (23-10) instead paced himself as the engaged in the early going and showed restraint by not overcommitting against the larger Rockhold (10-2). But when the opportunity presented itself, Belfort delivered an incredible spinning heel kick that landed flush on Rockholds chin and sent him toppling to the floor. WINNIPEG -- Paul Maurice wasnt in the mood to be a coroner. The head coach of the Winnipeg Jets watched his teams playoff hopes die with a 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday. "Weve got a week to do the autopsy, lets do it later," a grim-faced Maurice told reporters. Pittsburgh defenceman Paul Martin, who missed the last 18 games because of a broken hand, scored the winner 11 seconds into a power play at 7:42 of the third period. Centre Brian Gibbons added the insurance marker when the Jets turned over the puck and he beat goalie Ondrej Pavelec with a low shot at 16:24. Greg Adams and Beau Bennett, also on the power play, had the other goals, while Sidney Crosby added a pair of assists for the Penguins (49-23-5), who clinched the NHLs Metropolitan Division title. Marc-Andre Fleury made 13 saves for his 37th win of the season, while Pavelec stopped 17 shots. Jets forward Olli Jokinen scored his 17th of the season and defenceman Zach Redmond marked his first. Blake Wheelers assist on Jokinens goal gave him a career-high 65 points this season. "We missed the net 18 times. Thats more shots than we put on goal," said Maurice, who was sporting a cut forehead from an errant puck. "So that, to me, was the difference from our offensive point of view." The Winnipeg franchise hasnt made the playoffs since the team was the Atlanta Thrashers in 2006-07. Dallas and Phoenix are tied with 85 points for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, but the Stars have a game in hand. They also still play each other. Winnipeg has 78 points (34-34-10) and only four games left in the season. Maurice took over on Jan. 12 after Claude Noel was fired and sparked the squad to nine victories in his first 11 games behind the bench. Hes now 15-11-5 in trying to turn around the club and has a believer in Jokinen. "Since Pauls got here, I think everybodys been buying into the system," Jokinen said. "I know weve been in every game. Its been close games.. Rico Carty Jersey. I think from that standpoint, looking early in the year, its been a big change and I think the teams been going in the right direction." Bennett had the only goal of the first period on the power play. Winnipeg then went ahead with two straight markers, but Adams tied it up with under two minutes left in the second. Jets defenceman Mark Stuart was in the penalty box for both of Pittsburghs power-play goals. "Its not like were playing bad. Were doing a lot of good things and were playing our asses off," Winnipeg defenceman Adam Pardy said. "Were just not getting results. Its tough, its frustrating. Were battling a lot of injuries. Its been a tough road for us. Its definitely frustrating, but we just got to keep moving ahead and keep trying to create an identity as a team and as a group of players." Fleury said reaching the goal of winning their division is only a first step. "I dont think weve been playing the best hockey lately and the best that we can do," he said. "Were missing some key guys in the lineup, too." It was only Pittsburghs third victory in its past seven games. Martins return was praised by coach Dan Bylsma and Crosby. "Hes really patient," Crosby said. "His poise back there, his patience with the puck. Hes just really smart and that kind of calming aspect brings a lot to the power play." Martin actually led all skaters in ice time with 23:46. The game was the first of a three-game road trip for the Penguins, who head to Minnesota for a match against the Wild on Saturday. Winnipeg plays in Toronto on Saturday. Notes: With the win tonight, Bylsma marked his 250th career regular-season victory, the fastest coach in NHL history to reach that milestone in his 396th games. Anaheims Bruce Boudreau won 250 games in 416 games ... Penguin Brooks Orpik was playing in his 700th game ... Its the second time in franchise history that Pittsburgh has won back-to-back division titles, with the last in 1992-93 and 93-94. ' ' '