Welcome to the no-hitter club, Hisashi Iwakuma.
The Seattle Mariners veteran pitcher blanked the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday during a 3-0 victory. He struck out seven and walked three in the process, becoming the fifth Mariner and the second Japanese-born pitcher (Hideo Nomo was the first) to throw a no-hitter, per ESPN Stats & Info.
ESPN PR shared a look at the aftermath of the impressive feat:
Iwakuma also became the first American League pitcher to throw a no-hitter since his teammate Felix Hernandez did so in 2012. There must be something in the air in Seattle considering this from Greg Johns of MLB.com:
Incredibly, there have been 15 National League no-hitters since Hernandez threw his in 2012, including three this season alone. Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals, Chris Heston of the San Francisco Giants and Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies (before he was traded to the Texas Rangers) all dealt no-nos earlier this year.
ESPN Stats & Info noted that Iwakuma joined some impressive company with Wednesday’s performance:
Most no-hitters feature at least one incredible defensive play that either preserves the accomplishment or moves the pitcher one step closer to 27 outs without a hit. Third baseman Kyle Seager made that play for Iwakuma by recording the first out in the ninth inning. The Seattle Mariners passed along a highlight of the play:
MLB.com provided a look at the final out of the contest and the immediate celebrations:
Seattle fans weren’t the only ones in baseball paying attention to the closing moments of the no-hitter, as the Colorado Rockies' official Twitter account and Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria proved:
Iwakuma likely felt a combination of elation and relief given his postgame quote, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com): "I was aware of it obviously, but I felt it real deep in my heart in the ninth inning. Just focusing on one hitter at a time and I'm glad I got it done."
As is the case with any no-hitter, Iwakuma’s teammates were ready to celebrate in the aftermath of his outing. The Mariners tweeted out some celebratory reactions in the dugout, and MLB shared Iwakuma’s acknowledgment of the crowd:
The Mariners are not in playoff contention in the American League West, but the no-hitter gave their fans something to cheer about as the season enters the stretch run.
As for the Orioles, they are in the thick of a loaded American League wild-card race and are chasing the red-hot Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Angels. While Wednesday was only one game in the standings, it will be important from Baltimore's perspective to avoid letting any doubt from the dismal performance carry over into future contests.
The Orioles still have difficult games against the New York Mets, the Minnesota Twins, the Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers remaining on their August schedule. Still, this is a strong offense that ranked in the top 10 in the league in runs scored as of Wednesday. It must tap into that typical production moving forward to avoid a costly slide in the standings following the no-hitter.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
- Login to post comments