01:00 AM EST on Saturday, March 11, 2006

San Francisco Giants minor leaguer Shairon Martis pitched the first no-hitter in the World Baseball Classic, leading the Netherlands over Panama, 10-0, yesterday in Puerto Rico in a game stopped after seven innings because of the tournament's mercy rule.

Martis ended the game with his 65th pitch -- the limit for starting pitchers in the first round -- when Cesar Quintero hit into a a double-play grounder. Martis walked one -- Olmedo Saenz with two outs in the first -- and struck out none. The only other baserunner he allowed was when Adolfo Rivera reached on fielding error by third baseman Ivanon Coffie leading off the seventh.

Martis, a right-hander who turns 19 on March 30, signed with the Giants as a free agent on Feb. 10, 2004. He was 2-1 with a 1.85 earned run average in five starts and six relief appearances last season for the Giants' Arizona Rookie League team.

Dick Tidrow, San Francisco's vice president of player personnel, expects Martis to pitch this season for either Single-A Augusta in the Southern League or short-season A ball at Salem-Keizer in Oregon.

Tidrow gave a thumbs-up when reminded of what Martis had just accomplished.

"I looked at the box and he's a strike thrower," Tidrow said. "He's got good stuff. He's a young kid and still developing. He has average stuff but throws strikes. He's good."

Given a 5-0 lead before he threw a pitch, Martis had the first complete game and shutout in the tournament.

Randall Simon's RBI single off Miguel Gomez put the Dutch ahead, Dirk van Klooster had a two-run double, shortstop Orlando Miller made an error that allowed another run in and Hainley Statia hit an RBI single.

Gomez, who was the loser, allowed three runs and four hits in one-third of an inning.

Games in the tournament are stopped if a team is ahead by 10 runs after seven innings.

OTHER GAME

PUERTO RICO 12, CUBA 2: At San Juan, Puerto Rico, Bernie Williams and Carlos Beltran homered and Puerto Rico routed Cuba in a game that was strictly for pride, with both teams having already secured spots in the second round.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 6, AUSTRALIA 4: At Kissimmee, Fla., Wily Mo Pena had an RBI single and Miguel Tejada added a sacrifice fly to help the Dominican Republic win its third straight.