Mike Leake of the Seattle Mariners lost his bid to pitch a perfect game on a leadoff single in the ninth inning by rookie Luis Rengifo, then finished off the Los Angeles Angels for a 10-0 win Friday night.
The Angels hadn’t come close to a hit and Leake hadn’t gone to a three-ball count before Rengifo grounded a hit to right field on Leake’s 79th pitch.
The fans gave Leake a standing ovation and he waved to acknowledge their cheers.
Leake (8-8) then retired the next three batters for a one-hitter, striking out Mike Trout on a full-count pitch to end it. Leake fanned six overall and walked one.
Leake’s second career shutout came exactly a week after he was tagged by the Angels in his previous start, giving up seven runs on eight hits and a walk while getting just two outs. The Angels pitched a combined no-hitter that night in Anaheim while the entire club wore jerseys honoring late teammate Tyler Skaggs.
There have been 23 perfect games in major league history, the last by Felix Hernandez of the Mariners in 2012.
Daniel Vogelbach hit two homers and drove in six runs as Seattle stopped a six-game losing streak.
Jaime Barria (3-3) lost in relief.
———
More AP baseball coverage: www.apnews.com/MLB and www.twitter.com/AP—Sports