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Justin Masterson hurled 6 2/3 innings of no-hit ball in his Double-A debut as Portland rolled over host New Hampshire, 5-0, on Monday afternoon.
The Sea Dogs (43-43) fell just short of recording their first no-hitter since Josh Beckett accomplished the feat on Aug. 13, 2001. After Masterson was pulled from the game due to a pitch limit, Hunter Jones entered and hurled two perfect frames. But with two outs in the ninth inning, rehabbing Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Lyle Overbay lined a two-strike single to center field to break up Portland's no-hit bid.
While Overbay's last-second base knock saved the Fisher Cats (47-41) from being no-hit for the first time in franchise history, it did nothing to diminish Masterson's dominating effort. The 6-foot-6, 245-pound right-hander struck out nine batters and allowed only three baserunners, two of which were bases on balls issued to Overbay.
"I just tried to stay relaxed out there, because it wasn't like I had to do anything that I hadn't done before," said Masterson, who won his last six starts with Class A Advanced Lancaster of the California League before receiving a promotion to the Sea Dogs.
"My sinker was working. It moved a lot, more than it did when I was pitching in California. Once they started making adjustments, [catcher] John [Otness] and I brought in some sliders. The main thing was, I stayed under control, and quality mechanics led to me having effective stuff."
The 22-year-old was removed from the game after throwing 85 pitches. Having tossed seven innings in each of his previous four starts, it's not surprising that Masterson thought that he could have gone deeper into the ballgame.
"My body still felt great in the seventh, and I was effective in the zone," he said. "I wish I had been able get that last out of the inning. But once the decision was made, I was happy to pass the torch. Hunter Jones did a great job."
Although the Sea Dogs left 12 runners on base and went just 3-for-18 with runners in scoring position, they still provided Masterson with plenty of offensive support. Bubba Bell, Jeff Natale, Andrew Pinckney and Bryan Pritz each collected two hits and drove in a run, while Jay Johnson went 3-for-5 with a double and scored twice.
Kurt Isenberg (3-6) took the loss, allowing four runs -- two earned -- on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. Sean Stidfole surrendered a run in 2 1/3 frames before Seth Overbey and Jo Matumoto combined on three shutout innings. -- Benjamin Hill/MLB.com
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