SCOREBOARD
Saturday, April 7
Detroit at Kansas City (2:10 p.m. EDT). Mike Maroth makes his first start for the Tigers since going on the disabled list last May.
STARS
Thursday
– Mike Piazza, Athletics, hit a homer with two outs in the ninth inning to lift Oakland to a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels.
– Daisuke Matsuzaka, Red Sox, struck out 10 and allowed one run and six hits in seven innings in his major league debut, a 4-1 victory over Kansas City.
– Scott Hatteberg, Reds, hit a two-run homer in Cincinnati’s 5-2 win over the Chicago Cubs.
DICE-K’S DEBUT
Daisuke Matsuzaka struck out 10 in seven innings in his major league debut Thursday, leading Boston over Kansas City 4-1. Matsuzaka allowed six hits, including a sixth-inning homer by David DeJesus, and walked one. His fastball clocked at 95 mph and he retired 10 batters in a row during one stretch starting with the final out of the first inning.
PIAZZA DELIVERS
Mike Piazza hit his first home run as a full-time designated hitter, connecting against Francisco Rodriguez with two outs in the ninth inning to lift the Oakland Athletics over the Los Angeles Angels 4-3 on Thursday night.
BULLPEN BLUES
A.J. Pierzynski was hit by a Roberto Hernandez pitch with the bases loaded in the ninth inning Thursday, sending the Chicago White Sox to a 4-3 victory over Cleveland. … Two walks, a wild pitch and a passed ball allowed Cincinnati to make a comeback and beat the Chicago Cubs 5-2. Bob Howry gave up Jeff Conine’s pinch-single that tied the game with two outs in the seventh, then walked Ryan Freel to put the go-ahead run in scoring position. Will Ohman followed with a wild pitch, a walk to Adam Dunn and a full-count slider that deflected off the end of catcher Michael Barrett’s mitt, allowing Conine to score from third.
FAST START
Elijah Dukes hit his second homer in two major league games and Tampa Bay took advantage of some sloppy defense by the Yankees in a 7-6 win on Thursday night. Dukes also homered in his first big league at-bat on Monday.
SPEAKING
“Against the Giants, you’re always thinking about Barry. You have to continue to see how he’s swinging, how he looks. He’s always there lurking.” – Padres manager Bud Black on Barry Bonds. Bonds had an RBI double and scored a run in the Giants’ 5-3 victory over the Padres on Thursday night.
SEASONS
April 7
1969 – The Yankees spoiled the managerial debut of Ted Williams by defeating the Senators 8-4 in the opener at Washington’s RFK Stadium. President Nixon and a crowd of 45,000 attended.
1970 – Three weeks after moving from Seattle to Milwaukee, the former Pilots played their first game as the Brewers and lost 12-0 to the visiting California Angels.
1977 – The expansion Toronto Blue Jays began their major league odyssey with a 9-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium. Al Woods, pinch hitting for Steve Bowling in the fifth inning, became the 11th pinch hitter with a home run in his first at-bat.
1979 – Ken Forsch of the Houston Astros pitched a no-hitter against Atlanta to duplicate the no-hitter tossed by his brother Bob of the Cardinals against the Phillies on April 16, 1978. They are the first brothers to pitch no-hitters.
1984 – Detroit’s Jack Morris pitched a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox despite giving up six walks. It was the first Tigers no-hitter since Jim Bunning’s in 1958.
2000 – Fifty-seven home runs were hit in the 15 games played, setting a major league record. The previous mark of 55 was set in 17 games last Aug. 13. Thirty-six homers in the American League set a record for a league in one day, topping the previous mark of 30.
Today’s birthdays: Brett Tomko 34; Ronnie Belliard 32; Adrian Beltre 28.
