Clemens Satisfied After Grieve Foils Bid for No-Hitter

L.A. Times Archives

May 3, 1998 12 AM PT

<i> From Associated Press</i>

OAKLAND — Roger Clemens will take consistency over perfection any day.

“I couldn’t care less about a no-hitter,” Clemens said after taking his no-hit bid into the seventh inning of the Toronto Blue Jays’ 7-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday.

Rookie Ben Grieve got a leadoff single in the seventh. Clemens finished the inning, and Paul Quantrill got six consecutive outs to finish the one-hitter.

“It’s my 15th season,” Clemens said. “I feel fortunate my body still responds to what I ask it to do.”

Clemens (3-3) has never pitched a no-hitter in 422 starts. The closest he came was on Sept. 10, 1988, a one-hitter for Boston against Cleveland at Fenway Park. The only hit against him that day was a single by Dave Clark with one out in the eighth.

This time, Grieve hit a line drive to left on a 2-1 pitch. Grieve had never faced Clemens before Saturday.

“I had a chance to study the guys I haven’t seen for a while,” Clemens said. “I don’t care who the hitter is, I take them all seriously. I don’t care if I’ve faced them 50 or 60 times, or face them for the first time.”

Clemens left after throwing 107 pitches, 65 for strikes. He allowed just one other batter to reach, Mike MacFarlane, who walked in the third and sixth innings.

Toronto Manager Tim Johnson had no hesitation about lifting Clemens after he lost his no-hitter in the seventh.

“He was done,” Johnson said. “He’s had better stuff than he showed today. Buy his not-so-good stuff is probably everybody else’s great stuff. . . . But if he still had a no-hitter, he would have been in there.”

Clemens, who avoided losing three consecutive starts for the first time since 1993, struck out Rickey Henderson three times, and third-base umpire John Hirschbeck ejected the outfielder on his way out to the field in the top of the seventh.

“I haven’t seen him for a while, and he’s been better, but he got a few calls and threw the ball well,” Henderson said.

“If I’m around the plate, I get those calls,” Clemens admitted.

Mike Oquist (0-1) allowed six runs--five earned--and nine hits in six innings.

“The troops get me three, four runs, and that’s a breath of fresh air,” said Clemens, who lost 1-0 to the Yankees in his previous start despite giving up only three hits in seven innings.

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