OAKLAND — As the Red Sox’ designated hitter, David Ortiz obviously does not play in the field. So there are times when he’ll go back into the clubhouse and get loose for his next at-bat.

So, believe this if you will, Ortiz said he had no idea Curt Schilling was pitching a no-hitter until the ninth.

“After the first out of the ninth, that’s when I found out,” insisted Ortiz. “It’s a good thing I found out then because I get nervous. (Infield coach Luis) Alicea said some things to me (about the no-hitter), messing with me. I looked up at the scoreboard and saw all those zeroes and then I saw the zero under the ‘H’ (the hits column).

“That’s when I looked over (at everyone in the dugout) and they said, ‘shhh,’ ” said Ortiz, putting his index finger over his lips in demonstration of the Sox’ signal for superstitious silence.

Some of Ortiz’s teammates had a hard time believing their DH, who authored the only run of the game, a homer to right with two outs in the first inning against Oakland starter Joe Blanton, was unaware of Schilling’s no-hit bid.

“How many people were in the stadium, 30-something thousand (31,211)?” second baseman Alex Cora said with a smile. “There are 25 (Oakland players) and 24 (Red Sox players). He was the only guy not watching the game.”

While Ortiz’s concentration may have been on other things, the rest of his teammates and coaching staff were well aware that Schilling was working on a gem, a stab at baseball immortality that slipped away on Shannon Stewart’s clean line-drive single through the right side with two outs in the ninth in the Red Sox’ 1-0 victory over the Athletics at McAfee Coliseum yesterday.

“It was pretty exciting, especially when there were two outs in the ninth,” said third baseman Mike Lowell.

It was not the first time Lowell had been on the field for a no-hitter. He was playing third for the Marlins when A.J. Burnett tossed one in San Diego, but Burnett walked nine in his messy no-hitter.

“There were baserunners every inning. That wasn’t as exciting,” said Lowell.

As a third baseman, Lowell was very aware that the Athletics might try to drop down a bunt. So he found himself creeping in closer than normal at times, just in case.

“You’re not going to let them get a cheap one,” said Lowell. “They were going to have to hit their way on. But in a situation like this, if they hit you the ball, you want it to be a routine play.”

Lowell helped keep the no-hitter intact by getting in front of a tough bouncer hit by Mark Ellis in the seventh. The ball bounced off his glove and fell to the ground near him. He recovered in time to pick up the ball and throw out Ellis.

“On a play like that, in that situation, you want to get in front of everything. If it bounces away, I’ll swallow that error. You don’t want to make errors, but with a no-hitter going, you’ll take it. If I went to the backhand, it’s a tougher play. If the ball gets past me it’s a double and it was only a 1-0 game,” said Lowell.

The other members of the Sox’ infield — Kevin Youkilis, Julio Lugo and Cora — said they tried not to get caught up in the drama surrounding the game as it went along.

“You don’t feel any pressure. It’s exciting to be out there behind him, but you just want to make the play,” said Lugo, the shortstop, whose error on a routine grounder in the fifth cost Schilling a chance for a perfect game heading into the ninth.

“You’re just trying to make plays to win a ballgame,” said Youkilis, the first baseman.

“You feel calm,” added Cora. “He (Schilling) sets the tempo. You look at him and he’s pitching such a great game. This game just flew (two hours, 10 minutes), I’ll tell you that.”

There was, of course, the feeling of helplessness when Stewart’s ball sailed past him.

“I had no chance,” said Cora.

Nor did the Athletics, as Schilling’s command and velocity improved as the game went along. His biggest help came from center fielder Coco Crisp, who ran down Mark Kotsay’s drive to dead center a couple of feet in front of the 400-foot marker in the sixth.

Crisp politely but firmly refused to comment on yesterday’s game, but bench coach Brad Mills, thrust into the role of postgame spokesman by manager Terry Francona so he could bask in a day that included the first-round drafting of his son, Beau Mills, had plenty to say.

“Obviously, it was a great day for me personally, and then to have Schill throw the way he did,” said Mills, who was part of Francona’s staff in Philadelphia when Schilling pitched there.

“That was almost turning back the clock a bit the way he threw today,” said Mills. “At least it was a clean hit. But Schill is a great stopper, the number-one guy in the rotation, and he came through for us when we really needed him.”

Even if he did fall one out shy of his first career no-hitter.

skrasner@projo.com