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'It was unbelievable' Wolf fires one-hitter at Reds, keeps Phils on Braves' tail
Updated: Thursday September 27, 2001 9:27 AM
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Randy Wolf won't be going back to the bullpen anytime soon. Wolf pitched a one-hitter, giving up Raul Gonzalez's first major league hit in the opening inning, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-0 on Wednesday night. Travis Lee hit a three-run homer and Scott Rolen also connected for Philadelphia, which remained one game behind first-place Atlanta in the NL East. The Braves beat Florida 4-1. "That might have been the best I've seen Randy pitch," Phillies manager Larry Bowa said. "It was unbelievable." Wolf (8-11) allowed just a line-drive single to right by Gonzalez, the second batter of the game. Wolf retired 14 consecutive after the hit before walking Corky Miller to start the sixth. Wolf retired the last 11 batters, finishing with eight strikeouts. After losing five consecutive starts between June 2-27, Wolf was taken out of the rotation. He wasn't too pleased about going to the bullpen. "It was something that was definitely a reluctant thing," said Wolf, who is 3-2 with a 2.92 ERA since returning. "But sometimes you need something like that to evaluate what you are doing. It gave me a chance to look at what I was doing mentally and physically."
Wolf didn't overpower the Reds, but he kept them off-balance by changing speeds and spotting his fastball. Gonzalez almost got another hit in the fourth, but shortstop Jimmy Rollins made a backhanded play and a strong throw to first to get him. Wolf made a nice play on a hard grounder up the middle by Sean Casey in the fifth. The Reds didn't come close to getting another hit. "He had us baffled all night," Reds manager Bob Boone said. "He had a good breaking ball and a sneaky fastball." The victory clinched Philadelphia's first non-losing season since 1993 and just its second in 15 years. "I wanted to win more than I lost," Bowa said. "That was one goal." Rolen gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead with his 23rd homer in the second. Marlon Anderson's two-out, two-run double in the fourth made it 3-0. The Phillies chased starter Jared Fernandez (0-1) and put the game away with four runs in the fifth. Wolf singled to start the inning and moved to third when second baseman Todd Walker threw wildly to second on Rollins' grounder. Bobby Abreu's groundout scored Wolf to make it 4-0. After Rolen walked, Hector Mercado replaced Fernandez. Lee hit his second pitch into the left-field bullpen for his 19th homer and a 7-0 lead. "Randy didn't need breathing run tonight," Rolen said. "He threw an unbelievable game." Fernandez, a knuckleballer making his first career start, allowed six runs -- three earned -- and four hits in 4 2/3 innings. Wolf's only other shutout came two starts ago when he beat Montreal 6-0 on Sept. 8. "People don't remember one-hitters, they remember no-hitters," Wolf said. "I've been pleased with my second half. I was inconsistent in the first half." Notes: An MRI on Phillies reliever Turk Wendell's right elbow revealed no ligament damage. Wendell has tendinitis and won't pitch for five to seven days. He hasn't pitched since Sept. 18. ... Wolf leads the team with four complete games. ... Fernandez is the 13th pitcher to start for the Reds this season. ... Cincinnati has been shut out eight times. ... Curt Schilling was the last Phillie to pitch a one-hitter. He did it against the Mets on Sept. 9, 1992. ... Only 17,169 fans turned out at Veterans Stadium. ... Rollins' RBI triple in the eighth was his NL-leading 12th.
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