NEW YORK — The Baltimore Orioles are nine outs away from finishing a record ninth no-hitter in the majors this season in a game at Yankee Stadium.
Rookie right-hander Chris Ellis held New York without a hit over five innings Saturday in his third major league start and was pulled after throwing a career-high 92 pitches. The 28-year-old allowed several hard-hit balls but none that dropped for hits.
Left-hander Tanner Scott relieved and struck out Yankees sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton during a perfect sixth.
A ninth no-hitter would break the record set in 1884, the first season overhand pitching was permitted. It would also be the second this season for the last-place Orioles after John Means threw the franchise’s first since 1991 on May 5 against Seattle.
New York hit six balls over 96 mph in the first four innings, including two by Judge. His first hard liner was dropped by left fielder Ryan McKenna for an error, and the next was caught on the warning track in center.
The right-handed Ellis struck out two, walked three and threw two wild pitches. A third-round pick by the Angels in 2014, he is with his seventh franchise after being claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay on Aug. 20.
His first start was the day Baltimore ended a 19-game skid last month — he allowed three runs in three innings of a 10-6 win over the Angels. He was sharper in his second start, pitching one-run ball over 4 2/3 innings against Toronto with a career-most 69 pitches.
Arizona rookie Tyler Gilbert threw the majors’ most recent no-hitter on Aug. 14, and the Chicago Cubs threw the only combined effort this year on June 24. The other no-hitters this season were thrown by San Diego’s Joe Musgrove (April 9), Carlos Rodón of the Chicago White Sox (April 14), Cincinnati’s Wade Miley (May 7), Detroit’s Spencer Turnbull (May 18) and the Yankees’ Corey Kluber (May 19).
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