CHICAGO - Francisco Liriano was running out of energy in the ninth inning as his pitch count increased.
The left-hander was getting closer to his first no-hitter in the majors and, when needed help, his teammates contributed to the biggest milestone of his career.
When shortstop Matt Tolbert caught a line of Adam Dunn to get the final out, Liriano was buried under a mountain of Twins who congratulated him on the mound.
"Honestly, I was running out of gas, say a ticket" said the native of St. Kitts 27. "I just thank my teammates who made big plays behind me."
Liriano on Tuesday launched the first no-hitter of the baseball season and became the fifth Dominican who succeeds in the majors, to give the Minnesota Twins a 1-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox . It also launched the first complete game of his career.
The Dominican (2-4) gave six tickets and struck out two. He made 123 pitches in his 95th major league start.
"I can not explain it," said pitcher, interviewed in the field. "I feel so nervous and happy at the moment. I can not explain what I feel."
ball With victory in hand, the Dominican Republic said he was "not thinking about it (the no-hitter) for nothing" and faced each inning, "a shot at a time and a batter at a time ".
The hander overcame a difficult ninth inning that started when Brent Morel hit a grounder to shortstop and Matt Tolbert made a pitch with a boat picked first baseman Justin Morneau . Juan Pierre then received a passport and Cuban Alexei Ramirez hit a lob shortstop.
Liriano was 3-0 down in the account from Adam Dunn, but then threw two strikes in a row. After a foul ball hit, Dunn hit a direct line to Tolbert and opener and his companions began the celebration on the mound.
"I just unstoppable," Liriano said. "When I saw him catch it, I was very happy."
The other Dominicans who achieved the feat were Juan Marichal (1963), Ramón Martínez (1995), José Jiménez ; (1999) and Ubaldo Jimenez (2010).
Liriano was supported by a homer Jason Kubel in the fourth inning. He threw only 66 strikes, but remained uncomfortable Chicago batters in a game that lasted just two hours and nine minutes.
In his previous start, the Dominican Republic had lasted only three innings in a 8-2 loss to Tampa Bay. Tuesday's shutout lowered his earned-run average to 6.61, after the party came to 9.13 and effectively ran the risk of losing their spot in the rotation.
The no-hitter was the seventh in the Twins' franchise, the Washington Senators and the first since Eric Milton managed one against the Angels on September 11, 1999. He was also the first in the majors since Roy Halladay, the Philadelphia Phillies, won one against the Cincinnati Reds in the series' first-round playoff National League last year.
The White Sox suffered their 13th shutout no-hitter, the first since Bret Saberhagen dealt them one for Kansas City on August 26, 1991.
Edwin Jackson (2-4) lost his fourth straight start despite allowing six hits in eight innings. On 26 June, when he was in Arizona Diamondbacks , Jackson threw a no-hitter against Tampa Bay that gave eight tickets.
Liriano arrived at Twins in 2003 in an uneven transfer that Joe Nathan also reached Minnesota for AJ Pierzynski .
The left-hander began earning a name in 2006, when he went 12-3 and improved to a 2.16 ERA after dominating the hitters with a slider untouchable. But the strength of his shots end up creating problems in the arm at the end of the season and had surgery to replace a ligament in his elbow that November.
Their return to the spotlight has been long and difficult. He did not play around 2007 and then struggled to regain its level in the next two years. Some even wonder whether he would return to his best form after finishing 5-13 in 2009 with an ERA of 5.80.
For the Twins, the Dominican Alexi Casilla 4-1.
For Sox White, Cuban Ramirez 4-0. Puerto Ricans Alex Rios of 3-0, and Ramon Castro 2-0.
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