Pitchers get it and throw it, and if it’s near the plate, hitters are swinging, knowing the off-season is but hours away.
So it took a little while Sunday before many realized that White Sox starter Jose Contreras had a no-hitter working. Even Contreras wasn’t aware of it until after the fifth inning.
“I started thinking about it after the fifth,” he said.
Contreras no-hit Kansas City through six innings, but Ruben Gotay sent a clean single through the right side of the infield to lead off the seventh.
Contreras threw eight innings of two-hit shutout ball as the Sox closed the season with a 5-0 victory over the Royals.
Sunday was the longest Contreras had taken a no-hitter since coming to the major leagues. He said that one year in Cuba, he had three straight starts in which he had a no-hitter in the eighth with two outs and two strikes before losing it.
Contreras, whom the Sox will count on heavily next season to be a consistent front-of-the-rotation pitcher, finished 13-9 with a 5.50 ERA. The victory was his first since Aug. 28.
“For me, this was real good,” he said. “It’s important to finish strong.”
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In his first season as a major-league manager, Ozzie Guillen led the Sox to an 83-79 record and a second-place finish in the AL Central.
“These guys gave me everything they had all year,” said Guillen, who seemed a bit emotional after the final game of his rookie season. “It really goes by fast, especially when you have fun.”
Some of the faces in the Sox clubhouse Sunday might not be around next season. Guillen said he would like to change the makeup of the club.
“I think the feeling is they’re going to try to shake things up,” first baseman Paul Konerko said. “This off-season has the feel that they’re really going to change things.”
Konerko went 0-for-3 Sunday, which didn’t tarnish a stellar season in which he hit .277 with 41 home runs and 117 RBIs.
“I think I’m better at a lot of things,” he said. “I think I’m much more of a professional hitter than I was. But once the season ends, I’ll take a couple weeks off and get ready for next season.”
Extra innings
Carlos Lee came up short in his quest for 100 RBIs. His best chance came in the seventh, when the Sox had two runners on, but Lee fouled out. He finished with 99 RBIs. … Ross Gload extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a fourth-inning single. … Joe Borchard had his first career three-hit game and first career stolen base while also hitting his ninth home run. “It’s just real nice,” Borchard said. “Things have been tough. This is a gift for the end of the season.” … The Sox finished 40-36 against Central Division teams and 37-44 on the road.