TORONTO – By the sixth inning of Tuesday’s game, James Paxton realized he had a chance to make history. His pitch count was low, his curveball was the best it had been all season and his fastball was approaching 100 m.p.h.
All he needed were nine more outs against the Toronto Blue Jays. With the help of his teammates he got there, becoming the second Canadian-born pitcher in MLB history to throw a no-hitter along with Dick Fowler of the 1945 St. Louis Browns.
Here’s an inside look at how the last few innings of Seattle’s 5-0 win unfolded…
SIXTH INNING
James Paxton, Mariners SP: “After the fifth, I found my rhythm and felt really good about my stuff.”
Mike Zunino, Mariners C: “I was trying to stay remotely level-headed.”
Paxton: “I looked up and saw no hits up there.”
SEVENTH INNING
Paxton: “I kind of forgot about (the no-hitter) a little bit. I was just trying to get ahead of guys and stick with my game plan.”
Third baseman Kyle Seager makes a diving stop to his right on a Kevin Pillar ground ball and throws off-balance to first base for the third out.
Zunino:“(Seager’s) one of the best in the game over there. That’s what really anchors down our infield. He does a great job over there. He makes plays look a lot easier than they are. He made two of those plays today. Sometimes they get overlooked, but in a moment like this they really get amplified.”
Paxton: “When you’ve got that (defence) going on and how I felt on the mound and everything that was happening, it almost felt like it was meant to be. It was a weird feeling out there.”
EIGHTH INNING
Russell Martin hits a fly ball to deep left field, where left-fielder Ben Gamel makes a catch at the wall.
Paxton: “We had those balls hit very hard right at people and it kind of made me laugh on the mound. I’m thinking ‘this is just insane.’”
Zunino: “Big tip of the cap to the defence… Those are the things that you really need. These guys picked him up.”
Paxton: “It started becoming a little more real.”
NINTH INNING
Paxton: “I could hear the cheers starting to happen when I got outs. People were starting to get excited.”
With two outs, Josh Donaldson steps in for the Blue Jays
Paxton: “Josh Donaldson. The guy’s pretty good, so I was like ‘I’d better bring my best stuff right here. I’m going to rear back and throw it as hard as I can. Fastball’s obviously my best pitch. They know it, I know it, and I was like, ‘I’m going to let it rip at the top of the zone and see what happens.’”
Zunino: “Two outs in the ninth with two strikes on Donaldson, I just wanted to make sure I put the right finger down. We had him hit it to the right guy. It was exciting. I tried to suppress the excitement a little bit.”
Kyle Seager, Mariners 3B: “He was throwing so hard, especially there at the end, I was honestly thinking he was going to throw it right by him and we were going to dogpile him (even though) Donaldson’s good, obviously.”
Paxton: “I threw the pitch as hard as I could and I saw the ball rocket towards third. I kind of spun around and I saw Seager. It looked like he caught it with his stomach.”
Seager: “I’d better catch it or I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight and all of Seattle’s going to hate me. I didn’t want Paxton to hate me.”
Paxton: “All of a sudden I see him throwing the ball to first base and I was just kind of shocked. I was like ‘holy smokes, I can’t believe this just happened.’ And then I looked straight to Zunino, I see him start running out. I threw my hands up in the air and then enjoying the moment with my teammates was very special, hugging all those guys. It wouldn’t have happened without that group of guys out there tonight. Everyone had a hand in this and it was just an amazing feat.”
AFTERMATH
Paxton waves to fans before leaving the field.
Paxton: “I was waving to people I had here, but also just showing my respect to Canadian fans. I really appreciate their cheers after the game, supporting me being Canadian. That was very special. I wanted to show them that I heard them and that I was very grateful for their support.”
John Gibbons, Blue Jays manager: “Any time someone is messing with history, you’re not going to like it if it’s against you, but it’s one of those rare feats, it’s hard to do. He’s just coming into his own, he’s that good. If he stays healthy, who knows? It’s always tough being on the losing end, but when you’re in baseball your whole life, you appreciate a little history, too.”
Zunino: “It was just really cool to see him close the door tonight.”
Seager: “We’ve seen this stuff. We’ve known for a while that he had this stuff in the tank. We’ve seen the upside of this kid. He’s starting to get the attention he deserves from other teams. He’s always had unbelievable stuff, but he’s starting to pitch a little different, starting to really attack, starting to trust. I don’t know how he could get any better, but if anybody could, it’s definitely him.”
Paxton: “Very special. I’m honoured to be the second Canadian to throw a no-hitter in the big-leagues. There’s been some great pitchers that have been Canadian that have come through the big-leagues and I’m very honoured to be the next guy.
“Pretty amazing. To have it happen in Canada, what are the odds of that happening? It’s pretty amazing to think of that happening in Canada and it’s just very special.
“You couldn’t write this stuff. Pretty amazing to have it happen against the Blue Jays at home in Canada.”
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