Orioles Pitcher John Means Throws First Solo No Hitter For Franchise Since Jim Palmer In 1969
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Orioles pitcher John Means added his name to Major League Baseball's record books on Wednesday throwing a no hitter against the Seattle Mariners in a 6-0 win. The performance from Means marks the Orioles first solo no-hitter since Jim Palmer in 1969.
"I don't even know what to say to be honest with you," Means said after the game, at a loss for words.
Means missed out on a perfect game only because of a ball that got past catcher Pedro Severino on a strikeout of Sam Haggerty in the third inning. Haggerty reached first on what was ruled a wild pitch but then was caught attempting to steal second allowing Means to face the minimum 27 hitters in the outing.
In the nine inning outing, Means tied a career-high in strike outs with 12, his most since September 20 of last year when he struck out 12 Tampa Bay Rays in a 2-1 win.
The no hitter for Means was a bit of a full circle moment for the O's franchise as WJZ sports director Mark Viviano noted on Twitter. The last time Baltimore was involved in a no hitter on a Wednesday afternoon in Seattle, they were the ones being no hit by Mariners pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma back in August of 2015.
Means was able to complete the no hitter with 113 pitches, throwing 79 of them for strikes as he improved his record to 4-0 on the young season and the Orioles moved to 15-16 on the year.
