KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Bret Saberhagen changed to his high school number and reverted to high-school form.
On the eve of his 23rd birthday, Saberhagen pitched a no-hitter for 7 1-3 innings and ended with his third-career two-hitter Friday night as the Kansas City Royals posted a 13-1 rout of the New York Yankees.
'My last game in high school when I threw a no-hitter and we won 13-0,' Saberhagen said. 'And is was 13-0 in the eighth inning when I went out there. That was definitely on my mind.
'I've changed my number to 18 and that was the last time that I'd worn 18.'
As a senior at Cleveland High School in Reseda, Calif., the Royals' right-hander was 9-0 with a 0.85 ERA. His final appearance for Reseda was a the no-hitter over Palisades for the 1982 Los Angeles City championship.
Saberhagen, who wore No. 31 for his first three seasons with the Royals, was looking for a change from last year when he slumped to a 7-12 record and 4.15 ERA.
He was hoping to pitch like he did in 1985 when his 20-6 record and 2.87 ERA earned him the Cy Young Award. He was also named the Most Valuable Player of the World Series.
The Yankees had just two baserunners -- Mike Pagliarulo who walked in the third and Don Mattingly who reached on an error in the seventh - before Don Pasqua sent a 3-1 pitch to deep left-center.
Willie Wilson gave chase but said he came up '3 or 6 inches short.'
'I thought I had a chance all the way, but I knew it was slicing away from me,' Wilson said. 'I just wish I could run like Bo (Jackson), maybe I would have got it.'
Pasqua, who was 1-for-13 before his double, said Saberhagen's downfall was that he fell behind 3-0 in the count.
'Everybody wants to break up the no-hitter,' Pasqua said. 'He got behind and had to come in with a couple of fastballs.'
The second hit Saberhagen allowed cost him his shutout. Wayne Tolleson led off the ninth with a single and advanced to second on a walk. A fielders' choice got Tolleson to third and a sacrifice fly by Mattingly accounted for the run.
Saberhagen got plenty of offensive support as the Royals knocked Yankees' starter Rick Rhoden, 0-1, and three relievers around for 18 hits. Jackson had four singles and three RBI, while Wilson and Kevin Seitzer each had three hits. Frank White and Jamie Quirk each matched Jackson's three RBI.
The Royals scored four runs in the third inning with White knocking in the first run with his first hit of the season. Jackson contributed a run-scoring infield hit and Quirk drove in a pair of runs with a double.
Kansas City made it 5-0 in the fourth as Wilson scored on a Danny Tartabull sacrifice fly that chased Rhoden. Wilson drove in the first run in a four-run fifth off reliever Pat Clements, and Bob Tewksbury - the third Yankees pitcher -- was greeted by a two-run White single. Jackson completed that rally with his second-RBI hit of the night for a 9-0 lead.
The Royals cracked double figures in the seventh off Tewksbury with Jackson, Steve Balboni and Quirk contributing consecutive run-scoring hits.
