Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber took a perfect game into the seventh inning against the Royals on Thursday before Omar Infante hit a one-out single to put an end to the bid.
MLB roundup: Corey Kluber falls short of perfect game, Yankees acquire Chris Capuano
There was a heck of a pitchers’ duel in Kansas City on Wednesday.
Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Kluber struck out seven through six perfect innings and retired Royals outfielder Jarrod Dyson to begin the seventh. However, three pitches later, Infante smoked a 1-1 sinker into center field to end Kluber's shot at history. The 28-year-old right-hander still managed to face the minimum through seven thanks to Yan Gomes, who caught Infante attempting to steal second on a 1-2 curveball from Kluber that struck out Alex Gordon.
The Indians’ ace ended up getting through nine innings without allowing an earned run. He gave up just two hits and struck out 10 but was saddled with a no-decision.
If it weren't for Carlos Santana, Royals starter Danny Duffy would have had a no-hitter of his own going through seven frames. Santana had two hits against the 25-year-old lefty, but the rest of Cleveland's lineup was 0-for-21 with a pair of walks entering the eighth.
It took Duffy 108 pitches to get through seven, but he racked up seven punch-outs and has lowered his ERA to 2.47.
Yankees acquire Capuano
The Yankees on Thursday acquired Chris Capuano from the Rockies in exchange for cash considerations, according to a team announcement.
Capuano never pitched for the Rockies in 2014 but fared well in 19⅓ minor league innings, striking out 21 batters and walking only five. The 35-year-old left-hander posted a 4.55 ERA with 29 strikeouts and 15 walks in 31⅔ innings of relief for the Red Sox earlier this season before being released on July 1.
The Massachusetts native owns a 4.28 ERA in almost 1300 innings spanning 10 big league seasons. Capuano has walked fewer than three batters per nine innings during his career and boasts a 41.1 percent ground-ball rate.
MLB issues statement on tarp malfunction
Major League Baseball sent out a press release on Thursday regarding the umpires' decision not to suspend the Yankees' game against the Rangers on Wednesday. The game was called after five innings, at which time the Yankees held a 1-0 lead and thus, were awarded the victory.
Here’s the statement, via MLB.com’s Jamal Collier:
”Last night’s game was called because of the sudden onset of extreme rain, which affected the ability of the grounds crew to put the tarp in place. Because no ‘malfunction of a mechanical field device,’ as prescribed in Official Baseball Rule 4.12(a)(3), contributed to the unfortunate circumstances, the game did not meet any criteria to be suspended.
We trust the judgment of last night’s Umpires, who deemed the field unplayable despite the legitimate effort of the sufficiently-staffed grounds crew to cover it. Because of the condition of the field following the heavy storms, we believe the right decision was made from a player safety standpoint.”
Rule 4.12(a)(3) states that “A game shall become a suspended game that must be completed at a future date if the game is terminated for any of the following reasons: Light failure or malfunction of a mechanical field device under the control of the home club. (Mechanical field device shall include automatic tarpaulin or water removal equipment.)”
Thursday scores
Blue Jays 8, Red Sox 0
Phillies 2, Giants 1
Yankees 4, Rangers 2
Athletics 13, Astros 1
Marlins 3, Braves 2
White Sox 5, Twins 2
Brewers 9, Mets 1
Padres 13, Cubs 3
Royals 2, Indians 1
Tigers 6, Angels 4
Orioles 4, Mariners 0
See More:
