In The Box

Sept. 11, 1999 Twins 7, Angels 0

Pitching a no-hitter is never easy, even when, like Twins lefty Eric Milton, you're spotting your fastball with precision and you're striking out 13. But the task is less daunting against the sort of lineup the Angels trotted out last Saturday. With most regulars sitting out the II a.m. start, Anaheim went with five players who began the year in the minors. Only one Angel, centerfielder Orlando Palmeiro, had played more than 300 big league games; three (second baseman Trent Durrington, rightfielder Jeff DaVanon and catcher Bret Hemphill) had played fewer than 30.

Not that Milton, 24, is a seasoned veteran: The no-hitter came in his 62nd career start. Plus, he didn't have the luxury of detailed scouting reports on the no-name lineup. "We went over the scouting report, and there was nothing," said catcher Terry Steinbach.