The Baltimore Orioles didn't have many things to look forward to when it came to this MLB season. Other than developing talent and assessing their youngsters, not many people thought they'd be able to compete. Then again, this beautiful often gives us little - and not so little - things to cheer for, like John Means' no-hitter vs. the Seattle Mariners last night.
Means was as efficient as he was dominant on the mound, leading his team to a 6-0 road win at T-Mobile Park, handcuffing a Seattle Mariners offense that has been surprisingly competent this season.
Sadly, he was a third-strike wild-pitch away from throwing a perfect game and became the first pitcher in MLB history to throw a non-perfect, no-hitter with no walks, according to ELIAS and ESPN Stats & Info.
John Means Throws No-Hitter, Is One Wild-Pitch Away From Perfect Game
"To be honest, I can't even put it into words right now. I felt OK all game, didn't really have a changeup until the end, but glad I got it going," Means told MASN after the game.
When asked about whether he was sorry about missing the chance to get a perfect game, the 28-year-old was quite unbothered, claiming that he wasn't upset at all after reaching such an impressive milestone:
"Yeah, right now it doesn't matter at all to be honest with you," the pitcher told SportsCenter. "I was just happy I made a good pitch, I was struggling with the curveball recently, so I was just happy I got it over and got a swing and miss on it, so that is all I was happy about. I was just trying to keep my cool with him on first base. I'm glad Sevy (catcher Pedro Severino) made up for it by getting him out at second."
The Baltimore Orioles hadn't had a pitcher throw an individual no-hitter over the past 51 years, even though they had a combined no-hitter in 1991. Needless to say, his teammates were ecstatic and so happy for Means:
"Really can't put into words what the last three outs, seeing how the teammates embraced him. Our your clubhouse after the game it was like we clinched a playoff spot," manager Brandon Hyde told ESPN.
It was only a matter of time before Means did something like this. He's been nearly untouchable throughout the young season, posting a 4-0 record with a 1.37 ERA, a 0.674 WHIP, and 50 strikeouts over 7 starts.
