Rays’ Garza keeps his no-hitter in perspective

Associated Press

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.

Matt Garza’s cell phone rang so much that he finally turned it off. When he switched it on again Tuesday, it kept buzzing.

“I’m a little tired,” the hard-throwing Tampa Bay right-hander said a little more than 18 hours after pitching the first no-hitter in Rays history and fifth in the major leagues this year. “But I can deal with it.”

Commissioner Bud Selig sent a congratulatory letter. A ball and Garza’s cap from Monday night’s 5-0 victory were earmarked for delivery to the baseball Hall of Fame after the season. The pitcher also caught up with his wife and children, who were in Northern California for a camping trip but watched the game on television.

Eight-year-old son Matthew was critical of his father after Garza yielded seven runs in just 11/3 innings of a loss to the Florida Marlins last month, going as far as to tell the pitcher: “I could do that.”

Garza has won four straight decisions, and also picked up his first career save, since that poor outing.

But when dad asked the oldest of his three children what he thought of his latest performance, the youngster still didn’t cut Garza any slack.

“He said, ‘You’re still not an All-Star,”’ the 2008 AL championship series MVP said with a big grin spreading across his face. “He’s a chip off the old block. He’s a competitor. He keeps you grounded. He said: ‘You’re not the best yet.”’

But the Rays believe Garza, obtained from Minnesota the winter before Tampa Bay’s improbable run to the World Series, has the talent to become one of the top pitchers in baseball.

He faced the minimum 27 batters against the Tigers, allowing only a second-inning walk to Brennan Boesch, who was erased on a double play.

“I was one pitch away from being perfect,” Garza said. “But if I don’t walk that guy, then things might have changed. ... Things happen for a reason. I’m happy it turned out the way it did.”

Garza threw 120 pitches. He relied almost exclusively on his fastball to tame an injury-riddled Tigers lineup missing Carlos Guillen, Brandon Inge and Magglio Ordonez.