Farrell had an Erie feeling

He flashed back to Cleveland no-hit bid

For a moment that he described as "extremely brief," Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell flashed back during Jon Lester's no-hitter to his own no-hit bid 19 years ago. Farrell was pitching for the Indians and, like Lester, was facing the Royals.

Pitching in Cleveland's old Municipal Stadium on May 4, 1989, Farrell, then in his second full season with the Indians, carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning.

"I was nervous as [expletive] going into the ninth inning," Farrell said. "I remember having a conversation with Bud Black, who had come over from the Royals. I can remember him looking at me and not only saying in kind of a joking way, 'Let's go,' but more the expression of, 'Hey, this is right in front of you.'

"That was at the start of the ninth, probably the most recognizable moment. Before the eighth, you know where you are in the game, but there was no greater emphasis placed on it."

The first batter to face Farrell in the ninth, Willie Wilson, hit a ball off the glove of first baseman Pete O'Brien. It was scored an error, "a very questionable call," Farrell said.

The next batter was Kevin Seitzer.

"He hit a ball that fell just inside the line in right field," Farrell said.

The no-hitter was gone. Indians manager Doc Edwards came to the mound and took Farrell out of the game.

Farrell was asked whether he sensed any nervousness in Lester during his no-hitter.

"The leadoff hitter in the ninth," Farrell said, referring to Lester's walk of Esteban German. "Throughout the night, his conviction to every pitch was so apparent, the purpose he exhibited in his body language, the quality of every pitch.

"I think there were a couple of pitches early on [in the German plate appearance] where it was like he left a couple of fastballs up. That was the only fleeting instance. But then he walked behind the mound to regroup, and re-engaged everything."

The Sox had minor league callup Chris Smith warming in the ninth, in case Lester gave up a hit.

"If there was a base hit, then we're dealing with pitch count and recouping for the next time he goes out there," said Farrell.

"Once you start getting over 120 pitches, you're mindful of what effect that might have. We knew he had an extra day's rest. There might not have been a hard, cold number, but fortunately, we didn't get to a situation of multiple walks and a 140-pitch situation."

And what would the Sox have done if the no-no had been intact and the pitch count was approaching 140?

Farrell smiled.

"I think Tito [Terry Francona] is best to answer that," said Farrell. "I'm sure any visit he made, [Lester] would have said he was fine and wanted to finish it out."

Francona said that in the ninth inning, Farrell was like "a baby."

"I'm sure everyone had some sense of emotion as that game was drawing to a close," Farrell said. "Everyone took into account everything he's been through, all the work he has done both from getting back to activity to refining his craft, and to see it come to fruition like that, in such an incredible setting.

"The reaction of people here, starting in the eighth inning - every strike, every out - built to a crescendo that was unbelievable in the ninth inning."

The Lester story line is like few others, Farrell said.

"It's almost like he's lived a full life at 24 years old, with the experience life has to offer, good and bad," Farrell said. "That can only give him a tremendous amount of confidence to draw from, and a frame of reference that very, very few people have."

Cranky call

Francona said he asked Lester for his father's phone number so he could call and offer congratulations. Much to Francona's surprise, the reception he got on the other end of the line was very cool. "This guy was not being very friendly," Francona said. Turns out the manager had written the number down wrong. He finally got it right and had a warm chat with Lester's dad . . . In something of a surprise, Julian Tavarez accepted an assignment with Triple A Pawtucket. He had been designated for assignment May 12 and cleared waivers, so he could have chosen free agency . . . Third base coach DeMarlo Hale left the club to be with his wife, who is undergoing medical tests in Orlando, Fla. Until he returns, bench coach Brad Mills will coach third . . . Among the items heading to the Hall of Fame from Lester's no-hitter are a baseball, Lester's spikes, and Jason Varitek's catching equipment.

Know your no-nos

Lester was the third pitcher to win the clinching game of a World Series in one year and throw a no-hitter the next. Rube Foster did it for the Red Sox in 1915/16, and Sandy Koufax did so for the Dodgers in 1963/64, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Sox are only the second team in the modern era (post-1900) to have a no-hitter thrown in consecutive seasons by a pitcher under the age of 25. Steve Busby did it for the Royals in 1973 and '74. Lester was only the fourth lefthander to throw a no-no at Fenway, joining Mel Parnell (1956), the Yankees' George Mogridge (1917), and Dutch Leonard (1916) . . . Herbert H. Hash, the oldest living former Red Sox pitcher, died yesterday of a stroke in his hometown of Culpeper, Va., at 97.