I had a feeling we were going to see a no-hitter pretty soon. Red Ruffing never threw one in real life, but he accomplished the feat against some of the most intense competition anywhere.
April 25th, 2008
Luoyang at Zhengzhou
ZHENGZHOU – White Horse pitcher Charles Herbert “Red” Ruffing shocked first place Zhengzhou this afternoon, twirling a no-hitter in front of a packed, hostile house.
Ruffing came oh-so-close to throwing a perfect game in the process. Red retired the first 18 men he faced before giving up a 7th inning walk on four pitches to King Kelley. Kelley wound up as part of a Rafael Palmeiro double play to end the inning. The only other Dragon hitter to reach base was Tetelo Vargas, who fouled off pitches to force a walk in the bottom of the 8th inning.
Zhengzhou starting pitcher Octavio Dotel was injured after facing one hitter, continuing an odd trend that has plagued all four leagues. As such, not a single Dragon pitcher came to the plate, making matters even more difficult for Ruffing. Although Luoyang only scored four runs, a total of six Zhengzhou pitchers entered the game.
Ruffing struck out 11 Dragons in the process, completing the feat on only 101 pitches. His era is now at 1.08 for the 5-5 White Horse. Zhengzhou’s record dropped to 8-4, but they still enjoy a hold on first place in the Northwestern League.
Click here for boxscore.
Today’s Other Games
Northeastern League
Beijing Mets 3, Tianjin Lions 2 At Beijing. Shoichi Busujima’s single in the bottom of the ninth drove in the winning run, as Beijing scored two to beat the visiting Lions.
Tokyo Giants 5, Beijing Red Dragons 4 At Beijing. In a wild ending, Tokyo scored three times in the top of the ninth, then weathered a two-run Beijing rally in the bottom of the ninth, winning 5-4.
Harbin Icecaps 2, Nishinomiya Tigers 1 At Nishinomiya
Shenyang Defenders 3, Seoul Blue Dragons 2 At Seoul. Johnny Pesky’s double down the right field line in the bottom of the ninth secured a Shenyang victory.
Northwestern League
Wuhan Turtles 5, Lanzhou Refiners 1 At Lanzhou
Taiyuan Kylin 6, Jinan Leopards 2 At Taiyuan
Urumqi Flying Tigers 10, Xi’an Wild Geese 9 At Urumqi. Babe Ruth’s homer to right in the bottom of the ninth broke open a 9-9 tie. The homer was the Bambino’s second of the game and third of the season.
Southwestern League
Fuzhou Whales 3, Guangzhou Fire 1 At Guangzhou.
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