So, no no-hitter. Duchscherer threw just 101 pitches over his eight innings, in which he allowed a single hit, a single hit batter, walked none, and struck out four Red Sox, before ceding the ninth inning to closer Huston Street, whose stress-free inning earned him his 10th save.
"[Duchscherer] commanded, I think, every pitch he threw tonight," Sox manager Terry Francona said. "He cut it, he threw a curveball. I don't remember him throwing one pitch that didn't look like it had a purpose. He might not have thrown a strike on certain pitches, but he just commanded everything. Kept us off balance.
"He was spreading the plate out, getting our lefties kind of on their front foot. Then he'd cut one in or back-door it. He really commanded."
It was a 2-and-0 fastball that caused the sea of fans to rise, giving Duchscherer a well-deserved round of applause.
It left Ortiz safe on first base, his line single breaking up a no-hitter that had gone 6 1/3 innings. Not bad for a guy once traded to Texas from Boston for that most random of icons, Doug Mirabelli.
So it was that one night after Rich Harden took down the first 10 Red Sox batters in order, Duchscherer took it far longer.
With virtually no well-struck balls, no near-misses or spectacular defensive plays, Duchscherer hit all his spots and more. When J.D. Drew flailed weakly to end the fifth inning, that marked 15 straight for the former Boston draft pick, though just his second strikeout of the game.
Duchscherer finally wilted when he hit Jason Varitek with an 0-and-1 pitch to lead off the sixth, getting him on the back of the right shoulder, and breaking up the perfection.
"He was the type of kid going through the minor leagues where he didn't overpower anybody, but his command is just [excellent]," Francona said of the pitcher who was selected to be on the 2005 All-Star team managed by Francona. "He always throws the ball where he wants to."
