ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — James Shields pitched a four-hitter for his major league-best 11th complete game and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the AL West-leading Texas Rangers 5-1 on Monday.
Shields (14-10) struck out six and walked two. The only run he allowed scored on Michael Young’s grounder with one out in the ninth.
Shields also became the first AL pitcher since Randy Johnson in 1993 to have at least 200 strikeouts and 10 complete games in the same season when he fanned Josh Hamilton in the first.
The only other 200-strikeout, 10-complete game pitcher since 2000 was CC Sabathia, who accomplished the feat when the left-hander pitched for Cleveland and Milwaukee during the 2008 season.
