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Nearly perfect: Karstens outduels Big Unit

Baseball Betting Lines

08/06/2008 - Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Karstens took a perfect game into the eighth inning before surrendering a double to Chris Young with two outs, but recovered to throw a two-hit shutout in Pittsburgh's 2-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the finale of a three-game series.

Karstens (2-0) retired the first 23 batters before Young lined a 1-1 pitch into the left field corner in the eighth. Karstens recovered to get out of the inning on the next pitch, however, and survived a single and a walk in the ninth to pick up his second win in as many starts since joining the Pirates.

One of the four players acquired by Pittsburgh in the deal that sent Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte to the Yankees on July 26, Karstens tossed six shutout innings against the NL Central-leading Cubs in his National League debut on August 1, a 3-0 Pirates win.

That was merely a prelude to Wednesday, when the 25-year-old right-hander fanned four against the NL West-leading Diamondbacks and nearly tossed the 18th perfect game in major league history, and the first in Pirates history.

In doing so Karstens outdueled the man who tossed the last perfect game in the majors, Randy Johnson. Johnson (9-8) was strong, but not strong enough, surrendering seven hits and two runs in 7 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts and no walks for Arizona, which failed to sweep the three-game set.

"Jeff pitched outstanding," said Johnson, who was Karstens' teammate with the Yankees. "I got to meet him a little bit when he was in New York on that shuttle up and down ... He opened a lot of eyes."

Freddy Sanchez's solo homer and an RBI double by Doug Mientkiewicz provided the offense for the Pirates, who stemmed a four-game slide.

After the Pirates added an insurance run in the eighth, Karstens saw his bid for perfection end in the home half. Chad Tracy's hard liner to center was nabbed by Jason Michaels, and Chris Gomez recovered from a bobble on Mark Reynolds' grounder to throw across for the second out.

Young laced a double into left, though, ensuring that his teammate Johnson remained the last pitcher to toss a perfect game.

"It wasn't really nerves," said Karstens of Young's double. "It was one of those things and he (Young) stayed on a pitch and hit it down the line. Major league hitters are going to do that."

Karstens came right back and got Alex Romero to ground out to second to keep the shutout in line.

Karstens issued his only walk to pinch-hitter Augie Ojeda to lead off the ninth, but came back to get pinch-hitter Tony Clark to ground right back to the mound, starting a 1-6-3 double play. Orlando Hudson's grounder to first was the last out as Karstens settled for his first career shutout.

"Obviously he was outstanding," Pirates manager John Russell said of Karstens. "No-hitter in the eighth and he threw the ball as good as he can throw it. That's what he's capable of doing."

Johnson is the last pitcher, and the oldest to reach perfection, as he was 40 when he accomplished the feat against the Braves on May 18, 2004. His only mistake through seven innings was an 0-2 slider he hung up and over the plate to Sanchez with one out and the bases empty in the fourth. Sanchez belted it into the seats down the line in left for his eighth homer of the season, the first earned run Johnson had allowed in 24 innings.

The Pirates touched Johnson for another run in the eighth, though, led by none other than Karstens, who lined a one-out single to left to start the rally. Gomez's looping pop fell just fair in shallow right to put two men on for Mientkiewicz, who exchanged words with Johnson after "The Big Unit" was upset by a late timeout call by Mientkiewicz in a Pirates win in Pittsburgh on June 9.

Mientkiewicz exacted a bit of revenge, as his line-drive double into the corner in right plated Karstens for a two-run edge, and ended Johnson's day.

Game Notes

The last Pirates no-hitter was a combined effort from Francisco Cordova and Ricardo Rincon in a 10-inning, 3-0 win over Astros in 1997. John Candelaria was the last pitcher to throw a no-hitter for the Bucs, in a 2-0 win over the Dodgers on August 9, 1976...The D-backs are 30-40 in games outside of the NL West this season, compared to 29-15 against divisional foes. Last season the club was 54-36 in games outside of the NL West and 36-36 in divisional games...The Pirates have beaten Johnson five of the last seven times he has faced the club.