Seattle Mariners

Seattle Mariners Top 5 (Near) No-No's In Franchise History

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Mariners have been part of five of the MLB’s two hundred and ninety-five no-hitters. But, what is almost always forgotten are the near no-no’s that are pitched. As heart-crushing as they are, here are the top five near no-hitters in franchise history.

Taijuan Wlaker’s start on Tuesday was jaw-dropping. Despite losing a perfect game in the sixth and a no-hitter in the seventh, it was one of the most dominant pitching performances in Seattle Mariners History.

Walker’s almost no-no this week got me thinking. Who were other Mariners pitchers to get so close to immortal baseball fame only to come up short?

To qualify for this list, pitchers needed go into the seventh inning with the no hitter intact. They also needed to have recorded at least seven strikeouts. To make it on the list, all players had to also finish their respective games with complete game shutouts. Without further ado, here is my list of the top five Mariners near no-no’s.

Sep 5, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Felix Hernandez (34) reacts after walking a Texas Rangers batter during the third inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

5. Felix Hernandez One-Hits The Red Sox- Aprill 11th, 2007

Don’t be mad, Felix. Just to be ranked on the list is an accomplishment. What you did in your junior year with the Mariners was brilliant. Just not as brilliant as the rest of the contenders on the list.

In mid-April, Felix took the mound as the Mariners were set to face the Boston Red Sox. He had started off the season red hot, throwing eight shutout innings. On this night, he was clearly looking to top that.

He started the game sending the first eight batters back to the dugout. Three of those men were sent packing via the K. In the third he gave up a walk, surrendering his chances of a perfect game,

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but would settle into a groove after that.

He would not allow a hit for the next thirteen batters. The future king did give up another walk, but it wouldn’t hurt his momentum. Then, in the eighth inning, it happened.

J.D. Drew stepped up to the plate for his third at-bat. Having seen Felix’s stuff a couple times that night must have given Drew an idea of how he would be thrown to. On the very first pitch, Drew hit a shot right up the middle to break up the no-no.

Felix would not be phased by this however. He would bounce back, retiring the final six batters of the game, including fanning the last man of the night to complete his line score of: 9.0IP,1H, 2BB, 6K, earning him the five-spot on our list of near no-no’s.

Sep 8, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (44) walks to the mound before the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

4. Taijuan Walker Stumps The Angels- September 13th, 2016

Yes, Walker’s stellar outing last week does make the list. You might be saying, “how does he make it while allowing three hits?” If you watched the game, you should know why. But, if you still don’t think so, I’ll explain why.

As we have written, Walker has recently made major changes to his mechanics. Adjustments (usually) take time to show themselves. But Walker was in a hurry to rebound from his outing earlier this month, which he called, “rock bottom”.

He took the mound on Tuesday and began his mastery. Walker calmly ran through the first seventeen Angels without giving up a hit. four of those at-bats were facing two of the best hitters in the game, Albert Pujols and Mike Trout. They went 0-4 in this span.

There was a close call at first challenged in the third, but after review, it was called an out.

In the sixth, with two outs, Ketel Marte rushed his throw to first base. Newly called up, Dan Vogelbach, couldn’t field the ball properly, and it sailed by him, allowing the runner to reach base. Of course, the play was ruled an error, but it meant the end of Taijuan’s perfect game.

Marte was devastated. He walked off the field at the end of the inning yelling at himself.

In the very next frame, Walker would give up, not one, but two hits. He would squirm out of that jam, but the no-no was no more. In the ninth, as he was trying to close out the game, the Angels got one more hit.

In the end, Walker would finish the game with a line of: 9IP, 3H, 0BB, 10K. He became one of two Mariners pitchers (aside from Hernandez and Randy Johnson) to throw double-digit strikeouts in a near no-no situation. He joined another group by become one of five Mariners in a near no-no to not allow a walk over nine innings.

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Jan 1, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks former pitcher Randy Johnson on the sidelines of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish game against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the 2016 Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

3. Johnson’s Farewell Almost No-No- July, 16th, 1998

The Mariners would trade Randy Johnson at the 1998 trade deadline to Houston, but before he left, he gave us something to remember him by: a near no-no.

Two weeks before the trade, The Big Unit would step to the mound against the Los Angeles Angels. It would be the third to last time we would ever see him in a Mariner uniform.

Through the first three innings, Johnson cruised by unscathed. In the fourth, he would have to endure one of the most unusual innings he would ever pitch. In that frame the first batter reached

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on an error. The next would take one more bag on a walk. Then, following a pop-out, Johnson would balk. Somehow though, by innings end, Johnson still had a no-hitter in tact.

The tallest Mariner would struggle in the 6th, walking a couple more batters. Yet, he was still in line for the no-hitter. That was until, with one out in the eighth.

Johnson would face his former teammate, five outs away from pitching his second no-no. Brent Gates, the career .264 hitter would be the man to crack Johnson’s blank slate. Gates would get enough power behind the bat to push the ball onto the outfield grass. The no-no was gone.

He would finish strong after the hit, and finish with an impeccable line of: 9IP, 1H, 3BB, 11K.

May 12, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Former Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson (51) talks to San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy (15) at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

2. Johnson Close To Two No-No’s In A Year’s Time- August 14th, 1991

Johnson nearly had two no-hitters within almost a year of each other. The June of 1990, Johnson dazzled for nine complete innings, earning his first no-hitter. In the summer of 91′ he would be almost as invincible.

Facing their division rivals, the Oakland Athletics, Johnson would get his opponents out via the K more than any other out. At one point, Johnson struck out five batters in a row. He would fan multiple batters in four innings.

Again, he would face trouble because of bases on balls allowed. A simple walk in the 6th would almost take away his shutout. Scott Brosius would advance from first to second off a steal. He would then move to third because of an error. Brosius would attempt a bold move, trying to score from third but would fail.

In the ninth, Johnson would walk Brosius once more. The next batter, Mike Gallego, would finally put a one in the hit column for the Athletics. Johnson, would have another no-no broken up by a poor batter.

Gallego, a career .234 batter, took the first pitch in the final frame and smacked it down the left field line. The no-no was so close, but Johnson would have to wait til another day to lock up another no-hitter. He wouldn’t have to wait too long. His final line read: 9IP, 1H, 3BB, 12K

May 12, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Former Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson (51) throws out a ceremonial first pitch against the San Francisco Giants at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

1. Johnson Has Best Near No-No In Mariners History- May 16th, 1993

There is no other way to put it. Johnson was perfect through 7.1IP. He struck out twelve of the twenty-two batters he faced in that time. He faced little to no resistance, often throwing less five pitches per batter.

In the eighth, he walked the first man. The perfecto was gone-zo. But the no-no was still up for grabs. Johnson would walk the first batter in the ninth, and then give up that elusive hit. It should be no surprise that the hit Johnson allowed was to a mediocre batter. Lance Blankenship was his name. He hit a career .224, and spent most of his career as a back-up utility player.

Johnson would not let Blankenship, or any other Athletic do more damage. Johnson would finish his game with a line of: 9IP, 1H, 3BB, 14K. It would be the best outing by a Mariner to almost get a no-hitter in franchise history

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Jul 10, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Mike Montgomery (37) delivers a pitch against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Honorable Mentions

Even if they didn’t make the list, there were some players that also had near no-no’s, and fared well in their respective games.

Mike Montgomery’s one-hitter springs to mind. Last year he took a no-hitter into the bottom of the seventh against the San Diego Padres. It would be broken up by Yangervis Solarte who hit a solid left field line drive. It would be ruled a ground-rule double. Montgomery would finish with a great line of: 9IP, 1H, 4BB, 7K.

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One more effort that couldn’t make the list was Jim Beattie’s 1983 one-hit shutout. Something the Beattie did that game that makes him stand out is that he gave up no walks. Beattie did not make the list because he lost his no-no very early into the game. Therefore it wasn’t a near no-no. Though, it was one of the best pitching displays in Mariners history.

That completes the list. If you think the order is out of whack or a pitching performance was missed, let us know in the comments.

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