Second start, no hits for Boston's Buchholz

Clay Buchholz might have just given himself a shot in the Boston Red Sox's rotation. (Perhaps next year: See update.)

In just his second major-league start, Buchholz threw a no-hitter in a 10-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night at Fenway Park, striking out Nick Markakis with a nasty curveball for a called third strike for the final out. He struck out nine and walked three in the game. "It's amazing. That's all I can say," he told the Associated Press. "I'm in a blur right now."

It's the second year in a row that a rookie threw a no-hitter, as Anibal Sanchez of the Marlins threw one last season.

Buchholz, 23, also is not the first to throw one so early in his career. Bumpus Jones of the Cincinnati Reds threw a no-hitter in his first big-league game in 1892, and Bobo Holloman threw a no-hitter in his first major-league start in 1953 for the St. Louis Browns (who are the present-day Orioles). That's not exactly good company. Jones pitched in just eight major-league games, and Holloman pitched in 22 games that season, and never pitched in the big leagues again.

Wilson Alvarez of the White Sox also threw a no-hitter in his second major-league start in 1991.

It was the 20th rookie no-hitter in history and the 17th no-hitter in the history of the Red Sox - achieving in his second start something that Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling have never done.

Meanwhile, the Baltimore Orioles find themselves on the wrong side of history again. Less than two weeks after getting beat 30-3, they were no-hit by a young pitcher who had lost his last two Triple-A starts.

Photo: USA Team All-Star Clay Buchholz of the Boston Red Sox pitches during the All-Star Futures Game on July 8, 2007 in San Francisco. Buchholz threw a no-hitter in his second major-league start on Sept. 1 for the Red Sox. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)