ARLINGTON, Texas — Corey Kluber threw the major leagues’ sixth no-hitter this season and second in two nights, leading the New York Yankees over the Texas Rangers 2-0 on Wednesday night.
The 35-year-old right-hander, a two-time American League Cy Young Award winner, came within a four-pitch walk to Charlie Culberson in the third inning of throwing a perfect game.
Kluber pitched his gem a night after Detroit Tigers right-hander Spencer Turnbull threw one against the Seattle Mariners, marking the first no-hitters on consecutive days since 1969.
Kluber (4-2) struck out 10 and threw 71 of 101 pitches for strikes in his ninth start for the Yankees. He was pitching on the mound where he was hurt after one inning last season for the Rangers, when he tore a muscle in his right shoulder on July 26 in his Texas debut.
That was the second straight shortened season for Kluber, whose 2019 season ended May 1 when he was hit on the forearm by a comebacker.
Right fielder Tyler Wade made a running catch of pinch-hitter David Dahl’s flyball for the second out in the ninth inning before Willie Calhoun’s game-ending groundout to shortstop Gleyber Torres.
It was the 12th no-hitter in Yankees history, the 11th in the regular season and the first since David Cone’s perfect game against Montreal on July 18, 1999. It was the fifth against the Rangers, who were also at home April 9 when San Diego native Joe Musgrove threw the first no-hitter in Padres history.
New York got its only runs in the sixth inning when Kyle Higashioka had a leadoff walk and scored on a triple by Wade, who entered the game in the bottom of the third inning after starter Ryan LaMarre injured a hamstring while running the bases. DJ LeMahieu then had a sacrifice fly against Hyeon-Jong Yang (0-1).
Before getting hurt in 2019, Kluber was a 20-game winner in 2018, and had thrown at least 203 innings with 222 strikeouts each season from 2014-18. He was the Cy Young winner in 2014 and 2017.
WHITE SOX 2, TWINS 1: Lucas Giolito gave up two hits over eight innings with a season-high 11 strikeouts, guiding visiting Chicago to a win over Minnesota.
Giolito (3-4) threw 111 pitches in his longest start of the year, another stride forward after a rough first month. The third-inning fastball that Nelson Cruz hit to center for his 10th home run accounted for Minnesota’s only runner past second base. Cruz also singled in the first.
Liam Hendricks pitched a perfect ninth for his ninth save in 11 chances, following a game-ending strikeout of Max Kepler with a shout and an arm pump to celebrate Chicago’s 20th win in its last 28 games.
RAYS 9, ORIOLES 7: Randy Arozarena hit two home runs, stole another with his glove and knocked in four runs, Ji-Man Choi drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, and Tampa Bay rallied from a five-run deficit to win at Baltimore.
Mike Brosseau also homered for Tampa Bay, which has won a season-high six consecutive games. At 25-19, the Rays are six games above .500 for the first time this year.
Trey Mancini hit two home runs as part of a four-hit night and tied a career high with five RBI for Baltimore, which has dropped 9 of 11 and fell to a majors-worst 6-17 at home..
NATIONAL LEAGUE
PADRES 3, ROCKIES 0: Fernando Tatis Jr. homered and went 4 for 4 in his first game back after testing positive for COVID-19, and San Diego beat visiting Colorado for a three-game sweep.
Tatis, who had been out since May 11, finished a triple shy of hitting for the cycle in helping the Padres win their sixth straight game and for the ninth time in 10 games. Tatis came up in the eighth and got his third extra-base hit of the game, an RBI double.
Jake Cronenworth had an inside-the-park home run and Joe Musgrove struck out 11 in seven innings.
Craig Stammen struck out the side in the eighth, and Mark Melancon finished the two-hitter with a perfect ninth for his major league-leading 15th save in as many chances.
The Padres were 7-1 without Tatis, their star shortstop who was placed on the injured list before a game at Colorado on May 11. Right fielder Wil Myers and first baseman Eric Hosmer were pulled from that game, Myers after he returned a positive test and Hosmer due to contact tracing.
Tatis and Hosmer were activated before Wednesday’s game and Myers is expected back this weekend. Jurickson Profar and Jorge Mateo, also placed in the contact tracing protocol on May 11, returned Monday night.
GIANTS 4, REDS 0: Kevin Gausman gave up one hit over six strong innings, Buster Posey drove in three runs with a double and San Francisco won at Cincinnati.
Gausman (4-0) didn’t allow a hit until Tucker Barnhart led off the fifth with a double, and Cincinnati managed just two more hits the rest of the way against Giants relievers. Tyler Rogers put a couple of runners on in the Reds ninth but worked out of it.
Mike Tauchman had an RBI single in the fifth for NL West-leading San Francisco. Posey padded the lead with a bases-loaded double in the ninth, one of his three hits.
MARLINS 3, PHILLIES 1: Brain Anderson homered on his 28th birthday to back Trevor Rogers, who pitched five-hit ball for 7 2/3 innings and led Miami at Philadelphia.
Adam Duvall and Jazz Chisholm Jr. also drove in runs for the Marlins, who won for just the second time in five games.
Rogers (6-2) gave up five hits, including Andrew McCutchen’s sixth-inning homer. The 23-year-old rookie left-hander struck out eight and walked two. He has 104 strikeouts through 16 big league starts.
Yimi Garcia finished with two-hit relief for his eighth save in nine chances. Garcia stranded two when Andrew Knapp hit a game-ending flyout to the wall in right-center that was a few feet from winning it for the Phillies.
BRAVES 5, METS 4: Ronald Acuna Jr. homered on the first pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning and Atlanta won at New York after blowing an early two-run lead.
Acuna drilled the first pitch from Jacob Barnes (1-1) to center field for his NL-leading 13th homer. The Mets were denied a sweep of the three-game series.
Tomas Nido gave New York a 4-3 lead with a pinch-hit, two-run single in the seventh.
NOTES
ATTENDANCE: The St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals will return to full capacity.
Washington said it will move to 100% at Nationals Park starting with a June 10 game against San Francisco.
The Cardinals will move to 100% at Busch Stadium starting with a June 14 game against Miami.
Only Texas among the 30 major league teams began this season at 100% after fans weren’t permitted last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Atlanta went to full capacity on May 7.
Others making the move in-season are Arizona (May 25), Cincinnati (June 2). Washington (June 11), Philadelphia (June 12), Milwaukee (June 25) and Minnesota (July 5).
In addition, the New York Yankees and Mets are allowed by New York State to go to 100% capacity starting Wednesday, but only for sections with vaccinated fans.
NATIONALS: An unidentified player who is vaccinated and asymptomatic has tested positive for COVID-19, Manager Dave Martinez said.
That player was deemed to have been in close contact with another Nationals player who is not vaccinated. Martinez said neither player would have been in the starting lineup against the Chicago Cubs and neither was available off the bench.
When either player might return is unclear. Martinez thought the vaccinated player, who he said “feels fine,” might be available in a few days. The unvaccinated player may need to quarantine.
Washington players were tested for COVID-19 on Monday.
ORIOLES: First baseman Chris Davis will miss the rest of the season after surgery to repair the labrum in his left hip.
The 35-year-old has not played since Baltimore’s spring training opener in February and will be sidelined for 4 to 5 months. General Manager Mike Elias said Davis should be able to make a full return for spring training in 2022, the final season of Davis’ $161 million, seven-year contract.
Davis reported pain in his lower back and hip in spring training, when he took only two at-bats.