PHILADELPHIA -- There were no signs, no indications that 34-year old Dodgers starter Josh Beckett was on the brink of history.Then again, no one can ever predict a no-hitter.Beckett entered elite territory as he threw the first no-hitter of his career in a 6-0 win over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday. Beckett, who has one career one-hitter, entered the game 4-12 in his last 20 road starts -- including a 1-1 record in three road starts this year with a 4.32 ERA. The last no-hitter for the Dodgers came on Sept. 17, 1996, in a 9-0 win at Colorado for Hideo Nomo. In that game, Nomo struck out eight and walked four on 110 pitches. 
Beckett, whose previous closest call to a no-hitter was 6 2/3 innings against Detroit when he was with Boston on June 4, 2009, struggled to find the plate early. His first three pitches of the afternoon were balls, but he was effectively wild, as he survived the first inning with just one walk on 24 pitches. A walk to Marlon Byrd opened the second inning, and then Beckett zoned in as he retired the next 21 batters.The Dodgers struck quickly, as Dee Gordon led off the game with a single into right-center. Gordon stole second and then moved around to third on a flyout to center by Carl Crawford. After a lineout, Adrian Gonzalez drove the ball into right-center, which landed and then glanced off Marlon Byrd's glove, resulting in an RBI double and a 1-0 lead.In the second, it took just one pitch to pad the lead, as third baseman Justin Turner hit a home run to dead center for a 2-0 lead. The home run was just Turner's second of the season.If anything, the second proved to be a wasted opportunity for the Dodgers, who got consecutive singles by Drew Butera and Erisbel Arruebarrena along with a sacrifice by Beckett to put runners on second and third with one out. Instead, Gordon hit a ground ball to Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, who came home with the throw to get Butera and Carl Crawford lined out to left to end the threat.In the sixth, the Dodgers added a third run, as Turner hit a one-out single into center. After a groundout moved him up a base, Arruebarrena -- playing in his third Major League game in place of Hanley Ramirez (injured right calf) -- singled Turner home for the rookie's first career RBI.Michael Radano / Special to MLB.com
Beckett, whose previous closest call to a no-hitter was 6 2/3 innings against Detroit when he was with Boston on June 4, 2009, struggled to find the plate early. His first three pitches of the afternoon were balls, but he was effectively wild, as he survived the first inning with just one walk on 24 pitches. A walk to Marlon Byrd opened the second inning, and then Beckett zoned in as he retired the next 21 batters.The Dodgers struck quickly, as Dee Gordon led off the game with a single into right-center. Gordon stole second and then moved around to third on a flyout to center by Carl Crawford. After a lineout, Adrian Gonzalez drove the ball into right-center, which landed and then glanced off Marlon Byrd's glove, resulting in an RBI double and a 1-0 lead.In the second, it took just one pitch to pad the lead, as third baseman Justin Turner hit a home run to dead center for a 2-0 lead. The home run was just Turner's second of the season.If anything, the second proved to be a wasted opportunity for the Dodgers, who got consecutive singles by Drew Butera and Erisbel Arruebarrena along with a sacrifice by Beckett to put runners on second and third with one out. Instead, Gordon hit a ground ball to Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, who came home with the throw to get Butera and Carl Crawford lined out to left to end the threat.In the sixth, the Dodgers added a third run, as Turner hit a one-out single into center. After a groundout moved him up a base, Arruebarrena -- playing in his third Major League game in place of Hanley Ramirez (injured right calf) -- singled Turner home for the rookie's first career RBI.Michael Radano / Special to MLB.com
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