June 12, 2003 [LINK]
"Collaborative" no hitter
Six (6) pitchers of the Houston Astros -- none of whose names ring a bell -- combined to achieve the first no hitter inflicted upon the Yankees since Hoyt Wilhelm of the Orioles did so in 1958, and the first at their home field since 1952. Will any team ever again go 6,980 games in a row without being shut out? This was the ninth "collaborative" no-hitter in MLB history, and the first time that such a feat was achieved by more than four pitchers. This is truly bizarre and makes me wonder about interleague play... The Astros have been red hot lately, taking first place away from the Cubs in the NL Central, while the Red Sox have slipped back into first place in the AL East, temporarily.
It seems that pretty much everyone agrees: The 8-game suspension (reduced to 7) of Sammy Sosa for using a corked bat was fitting. His infraction of the rules probably wasn't deliberate, and he has been graciously contriteful in taking responsibility for it. Yay!