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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, September 1, 2008

Sabathia tosses disputed 1-hitter

By Alan Robinson
Associated Press

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

CC Sabathia leaps into the arms of first baseman Prince Fielder after a 7-0 victory over Pittsburgh.

GENE J. PUSKAR | Associated Press

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

CC Sabathia

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PITTSBURGH — To the Milwaukee Brewers, CC Sabathia pitched a no-hitter. The official scorer disagreed.

The Brewers are going to try to change his mind.

Sabathia limited the Pirates to Andy LaRoche's infield single leading off the fifth inning, on a play Milwaukee manager Ned Yost argued was an error on the pitcher, and the Brewers beat Pittsburgh, 7-0, yesterday for their eighth victory in nine games.

"He accomplished a no-hitter and wasn't given what he deserved. That should have been a no-hitter," Yost said. "That's a stinking no-hitter we all got cheated from. I feel horrible for CC."

The Brewers said they plan to make a DVD of the play and send it to Major League Baseball, asking that the call be overturned. However, according to baseball's rulebook, only the official scorer may change a judgment scoring call.

If official scorer Bob Webb were to decide to change the call, it would be the first time in major league history a no-hitter was awarded retroactively.

LaRoche's softly hit grounder on a 2-2 pitch rolled about 45 feet between the plate and the mound before Sabathia picked it up barehanded, only to drop it. The ball may have been hit too softly for Sabathia to get LaRoche at first, even if he had made the play cleanly.

Webb, a major league official scorer for 20 seasons, immediately ruled a hit, explaining he watched LaRoche out of the batter's box and the runner was two-thirds of the way down the line as Sabathia was picking the ball up. Yost and several Brewers players disagreed — strongly.

"That's a joke. That wasn't even close," Yost said. "That's sad. It really is sad."

The Brewers' Ryan Braun said, "There's no question that's a no-hitter."

Sabathia (9-0) accepted the scoring call calmly, blaming himself for LaRoche getting on.

"The ball was still rolling and I probably should have picked it up with my glove. We probably wouldn't be having this conversation," Sabathia said. "I think if I pick it up with my glove, I get him."

Sabathia struck out 11 and walked three and faced only 29 batters, two above the minimum. He threw 79 of his 117 pitches for strikes.