Iwakuma’s no-hitter sends Orioles on long flight home

Kuma becomes the first American League pitcher to throw a no-hitter since his teammate, the man called Felix Hernandez, threw a flawless game in 2012.

Seattle’s Hisashi Iwakuma struck out seven batters and allowed no hits in his first career complete game Wednesday against the Orioles in Seattle.

Countryman Nomo, as a Los Angeles Dodger, no-hit the Colorado Rockies in Denver in 1996, then, with the Boston Red Sox, the Orioles in 2001.

“When I was young”, Iwakuma recalled, “when I signed, I said, ‘One day, it would be nice to throw a no-hitter.’ Today, I’m very happy to accomplish it. But it was just taking one hitter at a time that made this come true”. “Just focusing on one hitter at a time, and I m glad I got it done”. Iwakuma joins Chris Heston of the Giants, Max Scherzer of the Nationals, and Cole Hamels then of the Phillies in tossing no-hitters this season. He tried to ignore the possibility Wednesday but started to feel the weight of the moment after Seager’s catch near the wall in foul territory for the first out of the ninth inning. He gave up another two-out run in the fourth. The game marks Iwakuma’s first complete game in four seasons in Major League Baseball.

Quite a few other Major League Baseball teams are still looking to improve by adding a starting pitcher, which means the Mariners have an extremely valuable asset. He struck out a career-high eight while walking two.NOTES: Orioles C Matt Wieters (tight hamstring) was not in the lineup. Walks by Manny Machado, Chris Davis, and Jonathan Schoop were all that spared the O’s being on the wrong end of a perfecto. Iwakuma was thought to be a no-brainer trade candidate for the Mariners, but the front office decided to hold on to him. It’d be inaccurate to say that Iwakuma got better and better as he went on, seeing as he had it going from the get-go. Two innings later, they walked off the field with a disappointing defeat.

Lovely or inspiring, however you choose to describe it, that play most likely would not have happened if not for what was perhaps the key pitch of the game the inning before. The Mariners rescued themselves Tuesday night from their increasingly combustible bullpen by pulling out a 6-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles in 10 innings. He got Gerardo Parra to fly out to Austin Jackson in centerfield for the final out before getting mobbed by teammates. Even three runs was more than Gausman deserved to have charged to him; one Seattle run scored on this single by Robinson Cano, which featured a throw towards home plate by Lough that made you wonder if he was momentarily confused and thought he was at a bowling alley. Thursday is an off day for Seattle, but they will open their 3-game series with the BoSox at 4:10 pm from Fenway Park.

Jed Lowrie also homered for the Astros, who stumble back to Minute Maid Park with a slimmer AL West division lead after going 2-7 on their nine-game road trip.