GRAND CENTER — There were only eight games scheduled Monday around the majors, and not one had the look of must-see TV.

Once San Diego Padres righthander Jake Peavy was scratched from his start against the Cardinals, the day lacked a bona fide ace — though Tampa Bay’s James Shields would qualify if he had the Q-rating to match his ERA. Only two of the eight games featured two teams with winnings records pitted against each other. One was out West as the Rays continued their reverse Tony La Russa Tour — start in hometown Tampa, drop by St. Louis, and then race the Cardinals to the West Coast and visit Oakland. The other moved the needle in the NL Central, where a Cubs-Houston matchup is semi-intriguing. In May. At Minute Maid Park. Or not.

And yet … it turned out to be one of the best nights of baseball this season.

Name one better.

At FSN Midwest, in a borrowed studio at Channel 9 just down Olive Blvd., there were two TVs tuned into various sporting events. There was a Game 7 in New Orleans and a Game 6 in Dallas (someone give Chris Osgood his over-due!) in two other sports on one TV. But we kept gravitating back toward baseball on the bigger screen. If it wasn’t an incredible catch we swear we’ve seen before it was a no-hitter you doubt you’ll ever see in person. Or it was an American League pitcher getting one more hit than the entire Kansas City Royals’ lineup did — and getting it in an AL game.

Let’s go channel surfing for a recap of baseball’s magnificent Monday:

Jon Lester, less than two years removed from battling cancer, no-hit the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park for the 18th no-hitter in Red Sox history. He struck out nine, and in 130 pitches he … rewrote the description that will forever follow his name (Boston Herald) … redefined what “immortality (means) for someone who has lived through cancer” (Boston Globe), and where better to put the ball from his tremendous night than in a shoe.  … It was the first Red Sox no-hitter by a lefty in 52 years. … Getting real good at the hugging part of this no-no thing: It was catcher Jason Varitek’s fourth no-hitter behind the plate, setting a record (MLB.com) … Just 34-starts-old in his big-league career and Lester, who pitched a clincher in the World Series, has a “flair for the dramatic” (ESPN.com). … It was the first complete game of Lester’s career. … And the Red Sox getting a second no-hitter in less than 45 games at Fenway Park from a young, in-house-developed pitcher probably really steamed the Yankees.

And that was just the beginning. Every game had something …

• Jim Edmonds turns out another highlight-quality catch in center field with his old friend, Tal’s Hill. The miniature golf course that passes for an outfield at Minute Maid Park (through the clown’s mouth and around the windmill for a ground-rule triple) has hosted a few of Edmonds finer catches, the best of which was a stumble-turned-dive up the hill a few years ago. On Monday, he raced back on a deep drive by Hunter Pence only to fade to his right toward Tal’s Hill. He reached for the ball over his right shoulder, back to the plate, as he hit the base of the hill. He got it. He’s still got it. Earned him the descriptive phrase longtime nemesis (Houston Chronicle) and dusted off that old nickname we used so well “Hollywood” (Chicago Sun-Times).
• In the same game, rookie catcher Geovany Soto hit a stand-up in-the-park home run, chugging the whole way and doubting every step (Chicago Tribune).
• Another veteran released this season, Frank Thomas, cranked two homers out there in Oakland.
• But the newest slugger on the block, Evan Longoria, won it for Tampa Bay with a shot in the 13th – which, if you’re counting at home, is the third consecutive game for the Rays to end with a dramatic shot in the final inning and the second in three games to go into extra innings. It’s the first in the past three days to go their way, however.
• Thought interleague was over and that would mean the end of American League pitchers hitting? Think again. Up in Minnesota, Twins reliever Bobby Korecky got the team’s first hit from a pitcher in an AL game since the advent of the designated hitter. It was the third consecutive appearance that Korecky had entered a game with the bases loaded, and the third consecutive time he left the inning with them that way, too.
• Oh, that Minnesota-Texas game went extras as well. Howie Clark won it in the 12th inning. Too bad less than 17,000 saw the wackiness in person.
• Colorado rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win, 4-3, in Denver, on a game that hinged on a double play Omar Quintanilla put himself in danger to turn. Proof: Check out the picture at The Rocky Mountain News.
• Way back in spring training, the Cardinals made a visit to Vero Beach to face the Dodgers and in the span of one inning LA lost two third basemen to injury or uncertainty. That one spring training game opened the way for Sikeston native Blake DeWitt to win a spot on the roster, and it could be awhile before he gives it up. DeWitt drove in the game-winning run in the ninth to complete the Dodgers’ rally from an early 4-0 deficit to Cincinnati. DeWitt is 6-for-6 with 12 RBIs this season with the bases loaded. 
• The Phillies have been shut out twice this season. The starting pitcher both times — naturally, Washington’s Tim Redding.
• The local nine’s day began with a frightening bang and ended with a few unexpected ones at baseball’s friendliest park for pitchers.
• With his home run in the first inning of Monday’s game, Ryan Ludwick punctuated a stretch where he hit four home runs in seven at-bats. Instead of going International, he’s going gonzo at cleanup. He and Houston’s Lance Berkman are the only players in baseball with at least 50 at-bats and a slugging percentage better than .700.
• And he was a triple away from the cycle, admitting, refreshingly, that it was the first thing on his mind when he ripped a line drive in his final at-bat.
• This outing may have been lost in the glare of the homers at Petco Park, but: Of the 12 National League pitchers with five wins now this season, only four — including young guns Tim Lincecum and Dan Haren – have a better than ERA than the Cardinals Todd Wellemeyer.

With each update of the scoreboard Monday evening, it seemed there was some new awe — not bad for a night when 14 teams were off. And not one of the things mentioned above was the most unbelievable event of the night. Lester’s got great stuff, so a no-hitter, while hardly predictable, isn’t implausible. Seen Edmonds make plenty of catches like that, so it’s no surprise he still has as many of them in his glove as Thomas has homers in his bat. DeWitt still flawless with the bases loaded is a bit uncanny … but unbelievable? No, that title tonight goes to this:

405 feet

That is the distance of the lunar module Albert Pujols jackhammered into orbit at Petco Park. Pujols’ first home run of the game traveled on a line to the fourth deck of the Western Metal Supply Co. building in left field at the Padres’ posh park. It was the ninth homer in the history of the park to reach the third balcony on the warehouse out there. Joe Strauss called for a ballistics exam. Good thing there’s Hit Tracker and a revised estimate will be up sometime.

Someone has to check the math.

And what a day Pujols’ homers added to. Today will have more games, but it’s hard to imagine how Tuesday’s quantity will catch Monday’s quality.

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