Nomo wicked, Rays fast, game over

RAYS 11, A'S 2: Tampa Bay scores seven in the second and ties a club mark for stolen bases, and new No. 5 starter Hideo Nomo handcuffs Oakland.

By MARC TOPKIN
Published April 10, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - Hideo Nomo said there was nothing different, that he treated Saturday night's Tampa Bay debut much like his 299 other big-league starts. But by the time he was done, the Devil Rays sure felt like they were part of something special.

Nomo held the A's to one hit over six dominant innings as the Rays, flexing unusual offensive muscle, rolled to their third straight win, 11-2 over Oakland.

The Rays hit two three-run homers in the same inning for the second time in team history and tied a team record with five stolen bases. The 11 runs they hung on former Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito were the most of his career. Their 3-2 record matches their best five-game start and keeps them atop the American League East.

But none of that topped the performance by Nomo, the 36-year-old one-time ace who showed a lively crowd of 13,536, some wearing new No. 11 Nomo T-shirts, and a couple dozen members of the Japanese media he still had what it takes to win in the big leagues.

"He had no-hit stuff," catcher Toby Hall said. "I'm not kidding. It was just awesome. A pleasure to catch him. It was fun. I'm sure it was fun for him. He was excited and it showed."

By the time Nomo showered, dressed and walked to the interview room to answer questions from U.S. reporters and the Japanese reporters who flew in just for his start, that excitement apparently had dimmed. He won for only the second time in 15 starts since last April, but it was hard to tell from his low-key demeanor.

No, he didn't feel any different or change his routine. Yes, it was easier to pitch with the big lead. No, he didn't think about a no-hitter.

"It felt really good to win," Nomo said through an interpreter. "When we scored a lot of runs I was able to throw better and more comfortably. It feels good to contribute to the Devil Rays."

The Rays weren't sure what to expect from Nomo. They signed him to a minor-league deal (with a modest $800,000 salary) in late January when he couldn't get a job on a big-league roster coming off a brutal 4-11, 8.25 ERA performance in Los Angeles, and waited patiently as he improved throughout the spring and won the No. 5 job in their rotation.

Nomo isn't the pitcher he once was, when he had electric stuff and threw 95 mph fastballs that whistled by batters and splitters that appeared to drop off a table.

But Saturday he was good enough, throwing consistently at 84-85 mph and getting as high as 89, mixing pitches enough to keep the A's off-balance and hitting his spots, and recording 10 outs on popups and flies.

"It was just a solid performance," manager Lou Piniella said. "His command was good. He threw enough split-fingers to keep the hitters off his fastball.

"I was expecting a nice professional effort from him, and we got that plus."

Oakland manager Ken Macha said Nomo's location was key. "He got strike one on us and hit his spots well," Macha said. "We didn't square up too many on him."

"He threw a great game," rightfielder Aubrey Huff said. "If we can get that out of him every time out, we have a great chance."

Then again, if the Rays could keep hitting like they did Saturday (11 runs on 12 hits), their chances would always be better.

The seven-run second started innocently enough, with Julio Lugo smashing a ball that bounced off Zito for an infield single.

By the time it was over, Josh Phelps hit a 419-foot three-run blast to left-center ("I don't think I've ever seen a ball hit harder in my life," Huff said). Joey Gathright wreaked more havoc on the bases, beating out a bunt and stealing second after they had him picked off. And Huff belted his first homer, a 396-foot three-run shot to right.

"How about that one?" Piniella said. "That was one of the better offensive games since I've been here. And against a darn good pitcher."

"As tonight showed, the ability is there," Huff said. "We've got some guys who can really hit. It's just a matter of being confident. We've just got to take this as a plus and see how long we can ride it."

[Last modified April 10, 2005, 00:41:07]