KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Jose Contreras didn't even know he had a no-hitter going until just about the time it ended.
Contreras allowed two hits in eight innings Sunday in leading the Chicago White Sox over the Kansas City Royals 5-0 on the final day of the regular season.
"It wasn't until the sixth that I realized they didn't have any hits," Contreras said through an interpreter.
He kept the Royals off balance all day long with a crisp assortment of breaking pitches.
"He was working real fast and throwing strikes," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "It's good to go out on a win. You have to play for something, either it's RBI, a win or next season."
Contreras (13-9) struck out four and walked two. He sat down 16 straight batters until Ruben Gotay singled leading off the seventh. The only other hit he allowed was a single in the same inning by Matt Stairs.
Reliever Shingo Takatsu pitched the ninth, completing a three-hitter.
Willie Harris and Joe Borchard each had three hits for the White Sox, who ended a disappointing season with an 83-79 record and second-place finish in the AL Central. The White Sox had contended until injuries took sluggers Frank Thomas and Magglio Ordonez out for the year.
After going 83-79 and finishing second to the Twins last year, Kansas City set a team record for losses by going 58-104, breaking the mark set when the Royals went 62-100 in 2000. The Royals, also hurt by injuries, lost eight of their last nine games.
"It's been a bitterly disappointing year," said Royals general manager Allard Baird, who announced staff changes after the game.
Acquired from the New York Yankees on July 31, Contreras went 5-4 in 14 starts with the White Sox and his 9.21 ERA in September was the highest in the American League. Kansas City was shut out 13 times, matching Tampa Bay for the most in the AL.
"Thank heavens I was able to get that hit," Gotay said. "After everything else that's happened to us this year, we sure didn't want to end the year by getting no-hit."
The Royals, buoyed by the encouraging finish a year ago, averaged a little better than 21,000 per game in attendance, their third-highest since 1994.
Joe Randa, the popular third baseman who was probably playing his last game for Kansas City, went 0-for-3 with a walk and received a standing ovation every time he batted.
"That was something I never expected," Randa said. "It means so much, it's hard to put into words. I just wish we could have done a better job for these fans this year. They deserve better."
Zack Greinke (8-11) allowed three runs and seven hits in five innings. He went 0-2 in his last four starts.
Chicago went ahead on Ross Gload's sacrifice fly in the first, then made it 3-0 in the fourth on Borchard's RBI single and Wilson Vazquez's run-scoring grounder.
Borchard homered off Shawn Camp in the eighth - Chicago's 39th against the Royals this year, a White Sox record for the most against an opponent. Harris also singled in a run.
Notes
Chicago's Carlos Lee was the only qualifying outfielder in the major leagues to have a perfect fielding percentage. ... Randa is eighth on the Royals career list with 1,019 games. ... For the first time in franchise history, no Royals pitcher won 10 games. ... The Royals said Guy Hansen will replace pitching coach Mike Mason and Joe Jones will replace third-base coach John Mizerock and coach first base. Luis Silverio will move from first-base coach to third.
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