Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, July 13, 1990                   TAG: 9007130199
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                LENGTH: Medium

A RECORD NO-HITTER FOR PEREZ

Perez pitched the record-tying seventh no-hitter of the season Thursday night as the Chicago White Sox beat the New York Yankees 8-0 in a baseball game shortened to six innings because of rain.

Perez's no-hitter, which matched the record set in 1908 and tied in 1917, was the record sixth in the American League this season and the first shortened by rain since Sept. 24, 1988. That was when his brother Pascual, who was watching Thursday night from the Yankees' dugout, threw one over five innings for Montreal against Philadelphia.

"I didn't think about it at first, but then I remembered when my brother threw a no-hitter in the rain," Perez said. "I started to think, `That might happen to me, too.' "

It was only the second time brothers have pitched no-hitters in the majors. Ken Forsch pitched one on April 7, 1979, for Houston against Atlanta, and Bob Forsch threw two for St. Louis - April 16, 1978, and Sept. 26, 1983.

Pascual Perez has not pitched since April 25 because of arm problems.

Andy Hawkins, the Yankees' starter, pitched the sixth no-hitter of 1990 when he held the White Sox hitless on July 1 at Comiskey Park. Hawkins (1-7) lost that game 4-0 when Chicago scored four runs in the eighth inning on two walks and three errors.

Melido Perez, 24, a right-hander in his third major-league season, struck out eight and walked four. The closest the Yankees came to a hit was with two out in the fifth inning, when Alvaro Espinoza hit a high drive to right-center field. Center fielder Lance Johnson made a running, one-handed catch.

Perez came into the game with a 7-7 record and a 3.88 earned-run average. His previous low-hit game was a two-hitter against California on Sept. 15, 1989.

With one out in the top of the seventh inning, Dan Pasqua doubled. Plate umpire Tim Tschida ordered the field to be covered as the rain picked up. The game was called after a 1-hour, 3-minute wait.

It was the first no-hitter against the Yankees since Hoyt Wilhelm of Baltimore did it on Sept. 20, 1958. It was the first no-hitter for the White Sox since Joe Cowley did it against California on Sept. 19, 1986.

Keywords:
BASEBALL