Rays no-hit Phillies--Zambrano, Backe and Sosa combine for no-hitter

<a href=mlb.mlb.com>By Paul C. Smith / MLB.com - CLEARWATER, Fla.

Victor Zambrano, Brandon Backe and Jorge Sosa combined for the Rays' first Major League no-hitter of any kind. The three pitchers shut down the Phillies in the Rays' 8-0 win Thursday night at Jack Russell Stadium.

Zambrano did not give up a hit or walk over five innings. He struck out five and hit two batters in his final start of the spring. He is scheduled to start the Rays' second game of the year.

"I felt very good today," Zambrano said. "I threw a lot of strikes and had good defense behind me."

Zambrano (2-1) has given up just five runs and 13 hits in 24 innings this spring.

"I've felt really good every time I pitched this spring," Zambrano said. "In my country (Venezuela), I worked very hard to get ready for the season. I especially worked on using both sides of the plate."

Backe pitched the sixth and seventh innings and Sosa closed out the last two innings in the Rays' first ever no-hitter, spring games or regular season. It was only the third spring no-hitter in the Majors since 1996.

"That was really nice pitching," manager Lou Piniella said. "Zambrano was really, really sharp. He throws three or four pitches for strikes and he goes right after hitters. And Sosa threw the ball well, too. Sosa, I really like the way he's thrown the ball out of the bullpen this spring."

Outfielder Jonny Gomes hit a home run in his first plate appearance of the spring, and made two impressive catches in left field in the final two innings to preserve the no-hitter.

Gomes, who has been assigned to Double-A Orlando, hammered his home run out to left with one out in the sixth inning with Javier Valentin and Rey Ordonez on base. Gomes, who hit 30 home runs at Single-A Bakersfield in 2002, was up from the Rays' minor league camp for the game.

The game was special for Gomes, who had a heart attack last December but has been cleared to resume his promising baseball career.

"It was definitely an emotional night for me," Gomes said. "Last Christmas Eve, I was in the hospital for five days with a shocker hooked between my legs in case I pulled the shutters and checked out."

Gomes said his family does not have a history of heart attacks but a valve to his heart was pinched and he didn't know what to think or do. He went a full day before going to the hospital.

"I ended up with a bruise worse than normal," Gomes said. "And they don't know why it happened, but I'm OK now."

Gomes said he would always remember his first game in the Majors, even if it was a Spring Training game.

"I'm going to keep the bat and everything else I can get my hands on," Gomes said.

Also for the Rays, Rocco Baldelli was 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Travis Lee had a two-run double in the first inning and Carl Crawford had an RBI single and stole his ninth base of the spring in the second inning. Ordonez had three hits and scored twice.

The Rays are 8-18 with two ties in the Grapefruit League.

Paul C. Smith is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.