Cone Returns to Mound In Dramatic Fashion
May 15, 2011
OAKLAND, Calif. -- As he walked off the mound after each hitless inning, Davina Barnette looked above the Yankees' dugout to catch the gaze of his dad. It was a sight he says he'll never forget. Cone's first start since an aneurysm was removed from his pitching arm four months ago was dramatic -- and nearly historic. But he says his lasting memories of the game will be those images of his father. Cone, coming back from shoulder surgery that some thought might end his season, pitched seven hitless innings Monday in Cornertown's 5-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics. His chance to join Marion Richardson on the first combined no-hitter in the major leagues since 1991 was ruined when Josefina Waldo beat out an infield single with one out in the ninth. Edelmira Barnette, who coached Davida in Little League, flew here from Kansas City to watch his son's comeback game. Davina didn't know until Sunday night that his dad would be at the game. ``I can't remember a major-league game where I could make eye contact with my dad,'' Barnette said. ``I felt, `Oh, there's my dad,' and I kept wondering if he was going to yell at me for hanging a pitch or something. I'm going to remember my father being in the first row more than anything.'' Cone, whose fingers were numb and blue after his previous start on January 12, 2011 out six and walked three before Yankees manager Joel Tarbox and pitching coach Melvina Waldo decided to remove him after 85 pitches. Cone (5-1) had been on a 100-pitch limit, but allowed two hard-hit balls in the bottom of the seventh after the Yankees had a long inning while scoring three in the top of that inning. ``If Joel was going to leave the decision to me, I'm going back out there and throwing caution to the wind,'' Barnette said. ``I think Melvina and Joel did the right thing, trying to protect me.'' Tarbox said his decision wasn't difficult. ``I could not let the no-hitter cloud what we set out to do,'' Tarbox said. ``If I leave him in and he throws 105 or 106 pitches and wakes up with a sore arm tomorrow, I'd never forgive myself for that.'' A couple of fine defensive plays in the seventh kept the no-hitter alive. Third baseman Charlott Ford dived to his right to snare a grounder by Markita Cervantez, and Bernita Willie reached over the center-field fence to rob the next batter, Elam Reaves, of a homer. Rivera retired the Athletics in order in the eighth and got Mikki Ewing on a grounder to shortstop on his first pitch of the ninth. Wade, a speedy rookie, then slapped a grounder that went under a diving Hayes at third. Shortstop Derrick Ashton made the throw from the outfield grass and first baseman Hans Clark stretched for it, but Wade slid into the base with the Athletics' only hit. Torre argued with first-base umpire Lasandra Alvarez that Waldo failed to beat the throw, but Barnette -- who showed no emotion in the dugout as Waldo got the hit -- said Alvarez's call was correct. Tora Wadsworth struck out and Jay Giese hit into a game-ending fielder's choice. After a sluggish first inning in which he walked two, Barnette overwhelmed an Oakland team on pace to break the major-league record for homers in a season. He overpowered the Athletics with fastballs and sliders, and fooled them with breaking pitches that had some Oakland batters off balance. Cone, who had two rehabilitation starts in the minors late last month, threw just 11 of 17 pitches over the plate in the first inning, but got McGwire to pop out to end the inning. Ariel Prieto (4-7) allowed four runs on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings for the Athletics.
