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This day in sports: Ex-Dodger Hideo Nomo throws a no-hitter in his debut with Red Sox

Hideo Nomo of the Boston Red Sox gets ready to deliver a pitch in 2001.
Hideo Nomo, shown in 2001 with the Red Sox, pitched a no-hitter in his first start with the team that year on April 4 against the Orioles in Baltimore.
(AFP via Getty Images)
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In his debut with the Boston Red Sox, former Dodgers star Hideo Nomo pitched a no-hitter on this date in 2001 against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. He joined Cy Young, Jim Bunning and Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers to throw no-hitters in both the American and National leagues.

Nomo’s first no-hitter was in 1996 for the Dodgers at Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies.

The Dodgers’ Hideo Nomo, with a quirky windup and devastating forkball, pioneered Japanese players coming to the U.S. by quickly becoming an All-Star.

In auto racing, Mario Andretti, 53, became the oldest driver to win an IndyCar race when he crossed the finish line first in the 1993 Valvoline 200 at Phoenix International Raceway. Although it was Andretti’s last IndyCar race, it made him the first driver to win in four different decades.

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In games involving local teams that were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, on Saturday the Lakers were to play the Kings at Sacramento, a team they had beaten twice this season, and the Clippers were to host the Oklahoma City Thunder, whom they had beaten twice in three games.

The Kings and Ducks would each have ended their regular seasons, the Kings playing host to the Dallas Stars at Staples Center and the Ducks finishing up against the Sharks in San Jose.

And in baseball, the Dodgers were to play a day game against the Giants in San Francisco while the Angels and Houston Astros would have met in a night affair in Anaheim.

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A look at how sports leagues, including the NFL, MLB, MLS, NBA and NHL, are responding to the coronavirus outbreak.

Here is a look at memorable games and outstanding sports performances on this date:

1937 — Byron Nelson wins the Masters and his first major by two strokes over Ralph Guldahl, firing a 70 in the final round at Augusta National. Nelson takes the lead after his eagle on the par-five 13th hole.

1983 — Lorenzo Charles scores on a dunk after Dereck Whittenburg’s 35-foot desperation shot falls short to give North Carolina State a 54-52 win over Houston in the NCAA championship game. Thurl Bailey leads coach Jim Valvano’s Wolfpack with 15 points.

1987 — The New York Islanders’ Denis Potvin, the highest-scoring defenseman in NHL history, gets his 1,000th point when he scores his second goal against the Buffalo Sabres.

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1993 — Sheryl Swoopes shatters the women’s championship record by scoring 47 points to lead Texas Tech to an 84-82 victory over Ohio State. Swoopes makes her first seven shots, and the Red Raiders hang on to secure the school’s first NCAA title in any sport.

1998 — Mark McGwire ties Willie Mays’ NL record by hitting a home run in each of his first four games. McGwire drives a towering three-run shot in the sixth inning of an 8-6 win over the San Diego Padres.

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2003 — Toronto coach Lenny Wilkens sets the NBA record for most career losses when the Raptors fall to the San Antonio Spurs 124-98. Wilkens, who is in his 30th year as an NBA coach, was already the winningest coach with 1,292 victories.

2005 — Dmitri Young becomes the third player to hit three home runs on opening day, leading Detroit over Kansas City 11-2. George Bell and Tuffy Rhodes also accomplished the feat, Bell for Toronto in 1988 and Rhodes for the Chicago Cubs in 1994.

2011 — Kemba Walker scores 16 points and Alex Oriakhi has 11 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots to lead Connecticut to a 53-41 win over Butler in the NCAA final. Coach Jim Calhoun wins his third title, something only four other coaches had done.

Sources: The Times, Associated Press

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