Maeda's no-hitter ends in 9th; Twins top Brewers 4-3 in 12

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kenta Maeda lost a no-hitter in the ninth inning for the Minnesota Twins, who blew a three-run lead but came back to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in 12 innings.

Byron Buxton slid headfirst into home on a slow roller against a five-man infield in the 12th. Jorge Polanco poked the grounder against David Phelps (2-2), and second baseman Luis Urías fielded the ball but couldn't send it home in time to nab Buxton, charging from third after opening the inning as Minnesota's automatic runner at second.

Maeda's no-hit bid was ended by Eric Sogard's soft single that soared just over the glove of a leaping Polanco at shortstop. Maeda set a club record with eight consecutive strikeouts and finished the game with 12 punchouts on 115 pitches — the most pitches thrown by a pitcher this season and most in Maeda's five-year major league career since coming over from Japan.

The Twins immediately summoned closer Taylor Rogers after Sogard's hit, and the pre-recorded crowd noise was cranked up by the game presentation crew to match the moment. Maeda even tipped his cap to the empty seats, filled behind the plate with oversized-head posters of popular ex-Twins players.

Avisaíl García doubled, Christian Yelich walked, and Keston Hiura singled for the first run. With the bases loaded, Rogers got Gyorko to hit a ground ball for one out as García scored. The relay throw by second baseman Ildemaro Vargas clipped Marwin Gonzalez’s glove at first for an error — just the third by the Twins in 24 games this year — and allowed Yelich to score the tying run as the visiting dugout roared in approval.

Maeda is in his first season with the Twins, who acquired him this winter from the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol.

Maeda retired 21 straight batters in a stretch from the first to the...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Maeda-s-no-hitter-ends-in-9th-Twins-top-Brewers-15494314.php