Facts and the final out: A quick look at James Paxton’s no-hitter for Mariners
May 8, 2018, 6:29 PM | Updated: 11:41 pm
James Paxton has thrown a no-hitter for the Mariners in his native Canada. (AP)
(AP)
The man known as the Big Maple shined under the brightest spotlight possible for a Canadian baseball player.
Recap of Paxton’s no-hitter | Seager saves no-no | Photos | Box score
James Paxton threw the sixth no-hitter in Mariners history, dominating the Toronto Blue Jays in his home country on Tuesday night in a 5-0 Mariners victory.
The Ladner, British Columbia native allowed just three baserunners, all on walks, and struck out seven at Toronto’s Rogers Centre. It was the second straight stellar outing for Paxton, who struck out a career-high 16 last week in seven innings against Oakland.
Here are some more facts to stem from the 29-year-old left-hander’s big night.
• Not only was this the first no-no for Paxton in the big leagues, but it was also the first shutout and first complete game of his career.
• Paxton’s no-hitter is the first for the Mariners since 2015 when Hisashi Iwakuma no-hit the Baltimore Orioles.
• Of the six no-hitters in Mariners history, Paxton’s is the only one to occur outside of Seattle. Iwakuma’s no-hitter, Felix Hernandez’s perfect game and the combined no-hitter thrown by six pitchers in 2012 all happened at Safeco Field. Chris Bosio and Randy Johnson’s no-hitters happened at the Kingdome.
• Paxton is just the second Canadian pitcher to throw a no-hitter. The other was Dick Fowler of the 1945 Philadelphia Athletics.
• Paxton is the first Canadian pitcher to throw a no-hitter in Canada.
• Paxton is the first American League pitcher since Nolan Ryan in 1991 to record 16 strikeouts in a game and pitch a no-hitter in the same season. While Paxton didn’t pull off both feats in the same game like Ryan did, he did the next best thing by doing so in back-to-back games.
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