MEDINAH, Illinois (Reuters) - World number one Rory McIlroy arrived at Medinah by police escort barely 10 minutes before the tee time for his Ryder Cup singles match due to a mix-up over his starting time on Sunday. The Northern Irishman told reporters he was confused by listings that showed his match against American Keegan Bradley was to start at 12:25 Eastern time, but McIlroy was unaware that the Chicago area is on Central time which is one hour earlier. ...
Don't tell Homer Bailey there's nothing to play for now that the Cincinnati Reds have punched their ticket to the postseason and clinched the National League Central division. The 26-year-old right-hander wants to be a part of their postseason rotation, and he made the strongest case possible by no-hitting the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Friday night.
Bailey was dominant from his first pitch right up until his 115th and final offering, which resulted in an Alex Presley pop up caught by second baseman Brandon Phillips. He allowed only two baserunners — one on Scott Rolen's third inning error and a seventh inning walk of Andrew McCutchen — and tied a career-high with 10 strikeouts.
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Bailey had to be that good, as Pirates starter A.J. Burnett nearly matched him pitch-for-pitch for his eight innings in what ended up being a tightly-contested 1-0 victory for the Reds. In fact, one of the first things Bailey did in his postgame television interview was thank Burnett for pitching so well and helping him stay sharp and focused throughout.
"I just kept trying to put up zeroes, seeing how A.J. pitched against us all year."
The no-hitter from Bailey is the seventh in major league baseball this season and the first by a Red since Tom Browning tossed a perfect game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sept. 16, 1988. It's also the first time the Pirates have been no-hit since St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson got them on Aug. 14, 1971. This is Homer Bailey's third career complete game in 110 starts, with all three of them coming against the Pirates at PNC Park. His career ERA at the stadium is 1.40.
And in a cruel twist of fate that almost seems fitting, the no-hit loss for Pittsburgh guarantees it a non-winning season for the 20th consecutive year. The Pirates have to win their final six games to avoid yet another losing season.
Talk about punctuating a collapse in spectacular and historic fashion, that's exactly what the Pirates have done in 2012.
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CINCINNATI (AP) -- General manager Walt Jocketty hit the ''send'' button on his cellphone right at the final out, informing his manager that the Reds' championship celebration was on.
The Cincinnati Reds entered 2012 feeling like they had something to prove after their disappointing third place finish last season.
I think they can put that let down behind them now and consider their point proven after clinching the National League Central division for the second time in three seasons with a 6-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday afternoon.
There was never really much of a doubt either, as the Reds ran away with the division crown in the second half of the season. They're also the first team to clinch their division this season after officially eliminating the defending World Champion St. Louis Cardinals from the race with ten games still to play.
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That's pretty impressive, and it's also significant because it allows them a little time to gather themselves, rest a few regulars if they so choose, and line up their starting rotation as they see fit. But perhaps most importantly, it allows manager Dusty Baker some time to rest and get back to full strength for the October run.
Baker was forced to miss Saturday's celebration because he's still receiving treatment for an irregular heartbeat in a Chicago hospital, but he was obviously on the mind of all those in the Reds clubhouse.
''He is here everywhere,'' owner Bob Castellini said, looking around the dripping clubhouse. ''He is here in spirit, and everybody knows he's here. We hope to see him tomorrow.''
On the plus side, the Reds did get closer Aroldis Chapman back on the mound after a two week physical and mental break. He fittingly recorded the final three outs to wrap it all up. Starter Mat Latos pitched the first eight innings, allowing only six hits while striking out seven. He figures to follow Johnny Cueto in the Reds postseasons rotation, giving them a pretty solid 1-2 punch.
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Also fitting was Jay Bruce launching a solo home run in the fourth inning to open the game's scoring. If you'll recall, Bruce hit a walk-off homer in the Reds clincher back in 2010, and actually had a chance to do so again in the ninth inning of Friday's loss, but struck out against Ronald Belisario. Still, I'm sure there was some feeling of deja vu as the team and fans celebrated Saturday's clincher.
Speaking of which, here are a few shots of that 'subdued' celebration:
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CINCINNATI (AP) -- Reds manager Dusty Baker stayed in a Chicago hospital on Saturday, getting another day of treatment for an irregular heartbeat while his team tried to clinch the NL Central title.
CHICAGO (AP) -- Dusty Baker and the Cincinnati Reds moved one step closer to the NL Central title on Tuesday night, thanks to another solid September start by Homer Bailey.
DENVER (AP) -- New York Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey is the winner of the 2012 Branch Rickey Award in recognition of his work distributing baseball equipment and medical supplies in Central and South America.
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