John Smoltz thought it should have been an error. So did Ryan Klesko, who allowed the ball to pop out of his glove.
But official scorer Phil Collier gave Tony Gwynn a double, and Smoltz lost his no-hit bid with one out in the seventh. He didn't allow any other hits, leaving after the eighth inning Sunday in the Atlanta Braves' 4-0 victory over the San Diego Padres."I feel like I didn't give up any hits today," Smoltz said.
Smoltz (2-1), who struck out 13, had a perfect game until he walked Marc Newfield with two outs in the sixth. Gwynn got aboard when he hit a fly ball deep to left in the seventh. Klesko had the ball in his glove at the warning track, but it popped out just before he hit the fence.
"It was in the sun the whole time, and when it came out it was around my head," Klesko said. "Basically, it was kind of like a split-second decision of getting it out of the sun and trying to catch it. I don't know if I squeezed it out or what."
Mark Wohlers finished with a one-hit ninth, allowing a single to Steve Finley. If Smoltz still had a no-hitter, he would have pitched the ninth.
"I just think that Ryan's made a lot of great plays, and he would have caught that ball," Smoltz said. "You see it all around the league - they could have given it an error and then if somebody got a hit in the ninth, change it later. To me there's no excuse in that situation to not make it an error."
Collier, a member of the writers' wing of the Hall of Fame, was sure of his decision. "I thought it was a hit," he said. "It wasn't a routine play."
Mets 10, Rockies 4
At Denver, Jeff Kent homered and drove in three runs, and the Mets had nine extra-base hits.
Todd Hundley doubled twice, rookie Rey Ordonez went 4-for-5 with a triple, and Bernard Gilkey homered and drove in two runs as the Mets pounded out 16 hits to snap a three-game losing streak.
Pete Harnisch, making his regular-season debut after undergoing shoulder surgery last August, gave the Mets six strong innings.
Cubs 6, Giants 2
Brian McRae had a three-run double and Ryne Sandberg hit his second homer of the season as visiting Chicago avoided a sweep.
Kevin Foster (2-0) allowed two runs and five hits in 61/3 innings, and Turk Wendell pitched 21/3 innings for his first save.
Reds 5, Astros 3
Reds 9, Astros 8
Vince Coleman homered and singled off Anthony Young (0-1) to break a 7-7 tie in the seventh as Cincinnati completed a sweep after wasting a 6-1 lead in the second game.
Jeff Shaw (2-1) got the win and Jeff Brantley pitched the ninth for his second save of the day and his fourth overall.
Joe Oliver hit a two-run homer off Mike Hampton (2-1) in the opener at Riverfront Stadium and Eric Davis had a three-run drive to break a sixth-inning tie.
Pirates 5, Expos 2
Denny Neagle (1-1) gave up 10 hits, struck out 10 and walked one in Pittsburgh's first complete game this season, and Carlos Garcia's two-run single keyed a four-run fourth at Three Rivers Stadium.
Cardinals 6, Phillies 5
Royce Clayton and Willie McGee each drove in two runs for St. Louis, which overcame a 5-0 deficit at Busch Stadium.
But Sid Fernandez (1-2) couldn't hold the lead, and Pat Borders drove in the go-ahead run.
Dodgers 6, Marlins 1
Delino DeShields went 3-for-4 and scored three times, and Brett Butler drove in two runs at Dodger Stadium.
Pedro Astacio (1-2), who had lost seven consecutive starts, allowed one run and six hits over 51/3 innings.
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CROSSROADS
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