Just a wild pitch away from perfection, Baltimore Orioles ace John Means had to settle for throwing the O’s first solo no-hitter since 1969 in a 6-0 win over the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Wednesday afternoon.
In the dominant performance, Means struck out 12 without issuing a walk and Seattle’s only baserunner of the day came when Sam Haggerty reached on a dropped third strike in the third inning.
The gem by Means was the third no-hitter in MLB this season after San Diego righty Joe Musgrove and Chicago White Sox lefty Carlos Rodón both threw no-nos last month (and fourth if you count Arizona’s Madison Bumgarner no-hitting Atlanta on April 25th over seven innings in the second leg of a double-header).
The three solo no-hitters so far this year are the most in a season since there were seven in 2015 and it’s the first time there have been three complete-game no-hitters this early in the season since 1969.
“I can’t put it into words,” Means said. “I can’t do it. It’s such a crazy feeling. It’s such a whirlwind of an experience, and I don’t think I’ve been able to process it yet. But to be in the same breath as [Jim] Palmer, I don’t think that gets much better than that.”
For a team that’s finished well below .500 for four straight seasons and is currently in last place in the AL East, it was nice to have something to celebrate.
“Really can’t put into words what the last three outs, seeing how the teammates embraced him,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. “Our clubhouse after the game, it was like we clinched a playoff spot. We’re in the third year of this [rebuilding cycle] and to have somebody that can go shut down an offense in the way he’s been doing it … that’s the feeling you’re getting with John right now. You go to the ballpark [and] Means is on the mound, it’s going to be a fun night.”
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