April 29, 2003 [LINK]
Sexson & Millwood
This past weekend has seen some spectacular performances. In a game broadcast on TBS on Friday, Richie Sexson hit three home runs in his first three at-bats, as the Brewers clobbered the Braves, 12 to 5. He had two chances to become one of only fourteen players ever to hit four homers in one game, two of whom did so last May: Shawn Green and Mike Cameron.
On Sunday Kevin Millwood (a former Brave and all-around nice guy) pitched a no-hitter, leading the Phillies to a 1 to 0 win over the Giants. An unusually large crowd of 40,000 fans in Veterans Stadium cheered wildly. It was exactly one year after the last no-hitter in the major leagues, when Derek Lowe led Boston to a win over Tampa Bay. It was Millwood's first no-hitter, though he had pitched a one-hit shutout for the Braves in 1998. I still don't know why they let him go.
After three weeks of rehabilitation for a dislocated shoulder, Derek Jeter is starting to resume batting practice -- using a tee. Despite his absence, the Yankees are still dominant, and in fact are now the only team with a win-loss record as high as .800.