Music: {allcanada} Drabek shines in 2011 debut

It was the first of what the Toronto Blue Jays believe will be many victories for young Kyle Drabek, a flash both of his enticing potential and his growth over the off-season.

The 23-year-old right-hander was flat-out dominant while carrying a no-hitter into the sixth inning, ending up with seven frames of one-hit ball in a 6-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday afternoon.

With his fastball sitting comfortably at 93 m.p.h., and balanced nicely by a sharp cutter and curveball, he forced several awkward swings on his way to seven strikeouts, and was never really in trouble.

As much as he was in control on the mound, he was also in control of his emotions, and that perhaps more so than his pitching line, was the most promising development from the performance.

"This year, I've stepped back and not tried to just calm down real quick – I've stepped back, calmed down, go up on the mound, and then go to the next pitch," said Drabek. "In past years, it was just a big deep breath and go, instead of actually slowing myself down."

Drabek's dominance, combined with solo shots by Jose Molina and newcomer Jayson Nix, plus a key pinch-hit, two-run double by Travis Snider in the fifth, made for another impressive day for the Blue Jays before a Rogers Centre crowd of 27,194.

They'll look to complete a season-opening, three-game sweep Sunday afternoon.

On Saturday, they wore down Twins starter Francisco Liriano (0-1) until finally breaking through for three in the fifth inning, turning a one-run game into an ample 5-1 affair.

Edwin Encarnacion's run-scoring infield single brought home the inning's first run, and after Kevin Slowey came on in relief, manager John Farrell sent up Snider in place of Juan Rivera. Snider promptly drove a ball into the right-field corner to bring in two more.

That was plenty for Drabek (1-0), the farm system's crown jewel who is looking to entrench himself in the majors this season. Though only 54 of his 101 pitches were strikes, Drabek walked just three, and the Twins had plenty of trouble getting a handle on his electric stuff.

"He's one of the few pitchers, not that you're looking to do this all the time, but if he does fall behind in the count, he still has the ability to challenge hitters in the zone and get outs in the strike zone, rather than looking to have a guy chase," said Jays manager John Farrell. "I think he continues to grow and mature in terms of his mound presence and emotional control on the mound."

Drabek struck out the side in the first and retired seven in a row between the first and the fourth. Minnesota's only run came in the fourth when Tsuyoshi Nishioka walked, stole second, moved to third on Joe Mauer's grounder to the right side, and scored on Justin Morneau's groundout.

That tied the game 1-1 after Molina had homered in the third, but Nix, acquired from Cleveland for cash considerations on Mar. 29, went deep in the fourth to make it 2-1.

The only hit off Drabek came in the sixth when Denard Span opened the inning with a line-drive single to left field.

If the outing triggered a sense of deja vu for Blue Jays fans, it should have: eight times last year Toronto pitchers carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning or later, highlighted by Brandon Morrow's near no-hitter against Tampa Bay in August.

Drabek threw a no-hitter for double-A New Hampshire against New Britain last July 4.

"I looked at (the scoreboard)," Drabek said of not allowing a hit through five against the Twins. "But then when you get on that mound, you've got to still think about your plan for the hitters that are coming up and you kind of forget about it."

Drabek's first big-league win comes after he went 0-3 with a 4.76 ERA in three starts last September. He struggled to contain his emotions at times in those outings, and he worked closely with Molina, pitching coach Bruce Walton and Farrell to improve on that this spring.

"As soon as I see something in there," said Molina, "I go out and try to talk to him the best way possible, convince him that he's not in trouble, there's no reason for him to be mad."

Drabek feels he rushes at times when things don't go his way, and he appreciates Molina's words.

"It's just good for me, being so young, that he is just reminding me (to stay calm)," said Drabek. "I really think that's all it is, I'm pretty sure I could do it myself, but it's nice to see someone else is noticing it and trying to get me to calm down."

Aaron Hill added a sacrifice fly in the eighth to cap the scoring.

Notes: Blue Jays CF Rajai Davis was a late scratch from the lineup after turning his right ankle during a first-inning rundown Friday night. He was having trouble pushing off the foot, prompting manager John Farrell to give him a rest. … Farrell said he decided to leave Snider out of the starting lineup for a combination of reasons, among them giving Snider's still tender lower back area a rest after a night game, finding some playing time for Nix, and stacking the lineup against a tough lefty. … Brett Cecil starts the series finale Sunday versus Nick Blackburn. Cecil felt better about himself following his final spring start after he hit 90 m.p.h. on the radar gun. He earlier expressed concern about a drop in his velocity. Farrell hopes Cecil doesn't start chasing the radar gun.