My Kind of Math, 6 equals 0 for the M's Pitchers

Six Mariners Pitchers Combine for No-No

(Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

In one of the most unlikely of scenarios, the Seattle Mariners pitching staff tied a MLB record last night when six different pitchers combined to throw a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers came into Safeco sporting the best record in baseball at 37-21, but missing their star Matt Kemp.  Early on, M's starter Kevin Millwood was dealing and had total command of his fastball, owning the Dodgers and striking out 6 through the first six innings.  He was perfect through four innings, before issuing a lead off walk to Juan Rivera in the 5th.  Rivera was quickly erased when Bobby Abreu hit into a 3-6-3 double play.

Heading to the top of the seventh, Millwood came out to begin his warm-ups, tossing one pitch before signaling to the dugout that something was wrong.  Mariners manager Eric Wedge, and team trainer Rick Griffin, headed out to the mound to see what had happened.  Soon after, Wedge signaled to the bullpen and Millwood headed for the training room.  It was later learned that Millwood had a strained right groin.

In came Charlie Furbush, who hadn't had a chance to get warm in the bullpen.  He quickly got Dee Gordon to fly out to center for the first out, no-hitter still intact.  The next batter, Herrera, hit a grounder that Furbush fielded cleanly but he hurried his throw, which got by Justin Smoak at first base.  The throwing error allowed Herrera to reach third and put a runner in scoring position, with the score still tied at zero.  Furbush settled himself down and struck out Andre Ethier swinging for the second out.  Wedge decided at that point to play the match-up and bring in his flame throwing rookie, Stephen Pryor.  Pryor made quick work of Rivera, striking him out to end the inning and continue the no-no into the eighth.

In the bottom of the seventh  the M's got two out rather quickly as both Carp and Kawasaki went down on strikes.  Up came Suzuki, who was already 2 for 3 on the night.  In true Ichiro fashion, he beat out an infield single for this third hit of the game.  He quickly stole second, with no throw from the catcher, putting the Mariners in scoring position.  Ackley followed with a walk, bringing up Kyle Seager.  Seager, the Mariners leading RBI man, quickly fell behind 1-2 before lacing a single into left field off the glove of Dodger shortstop Dee Gordon.  Suzuki raced around and scored from second giving the Mariners all the offense they would need in this one.

Pryor returned to the mound in the top of the eight but quickly showed signs of control issues, walking both Abreu and Hairston Jr. on nine pitches.  Lucas Leutge came in to relive Pryor to face James Loney.  Loney laid down a nice sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position with one out.  Wedge headed back out and wanted his former closer, Brandon League, to come in and shut things down.  He did just that, getting Ellis to line out and Gwynn to strikeout swinging.

The M's didn't do anything more in their half of the eighth, setting up one final half inning of history.  Without hesitation, Wedge brought in his new closer, Tom Wilhelmsen to finish off the Dodgers.  The Bartender, as he has been nicknamed, worked fast and quickly got Dee Gordon to bounce a grounder to short.  Mariners shortstop Brendan Ryan, who had just entered the game as defensive replacement, had to charge to make the play and made a quick throw to first the just got Gordon to keep the no-hitter going.  Dodgers manger Don Mattingly sprinted out to have a discussion with the first base umpire, Ted Barrett, but was quickly shot down and soon retreated back to his visiting dugout.  Herrera then stepped to the plate and quickly made the second out with a liner right to Ryan.  With he crowd on their feet, flashes going off all around the stadium, in stepped Ethier with one last chance to break up history.  After fouling off the first pitch, Ethier hit a hard grounder to Ackley at second, where ho tossed the ball softly to Smoak for the final out of the game.

Mariners rookie catcher, Jesus Montero, sprinted to the mound and jumped into the waiting arms of Wilhelmsen to celebrate.  Montero would later tell the media that Wilhelmsen had to be told why they were celebrating so much, apparently not fully aware of what had just happened.  The Mariners as a team actually looked as though they didn't know how to celebrate and quickly moved their excitement into the clubhouse, where they had the opportunity to catch up with starter, Millwood, and finish their celebration.

The Mariners have seen their ups and downs so far this season, but a game like this can potentially spark something great in the long run.  Time will tell how they react to what they accomplished and how it carries them through the rest of their season.


Interesting Facts About the No-Hitter
No-hitters happen almost every year, this was the fourth one so far in 2012, but combined no-hitters are a rare occurrence.  In fact, this was only the tenth combined no hitter in MLB history.  The last time a team combined on a no-hitter was almost 9 years prior, when the Houston Astros also had six pitchers combine to no-hit the New York Yankees.  There were a couple other rarities with this one as well.  This was only the third time in history that a team threw a no-hitter to have also been no hit during the same season.  The Mariners fell victim to the Phil Humber's perfect game nearly seven weeks prior.  Kevin Millwood also became only the fourth pitcher in history to throw no-hitter by himself and be part of a combined no-hitter in his career.

Williams Commits to UW

Troy Williams, of Narbonne HS in Harbor City, CA announced today that he will be attending the University of Washington in 2013.  Williams is a 6'2", 190 lb. athletic QB, along the same lines as current UW QB, Keith Price.  He plans to make his decision final on Signing Day in February and hopes to graduate early so he can enroll in time for next year's spring practice session.

Check out the following link to Seattle Times Husky football blogger, Bob Condotta, with more information about Williams commitment to the Huskies.

Another new Husky? QB Williams commits

The commitment of Williams to UW is a positive sign for Coach Sark and staff.  Even with 2012 signees Jeff Lindquist and Cyler Miles in the fold, adding another QB was a must for the Huskies in 2013.  Bringing in talent to compete with talent is always a plus.  All of these kids have aspirations of making it to the next level, so having the opportunity to compete against stiff competition will only better prepare them in the long run.  In addition, being able to attract top talent year in and year out is a huge plus for a program trying to find its way back to the top Pac-12 pecking order.  If the Huskies continue to to improve each year, as they have the past three years under Sarkisian, the level of recruits showing interest in UW will improve as well.

2012 Seahawks Preview - The QB Situation

With the draft over and OTA's underway, the NFL will start to really kick things into gear in the coming weeks with team mini-camps and player conditioning and workouts.

My focus this year will be solely on the Seattle Seahawks.  For the first time in a long time the team did not undergo a major overhaul.  I'd call this season the beginning of the retooling process. The 2012 version of the Seahawks will look much the same as it did before, but with a few new pieces and a couple nice upgrades.

I'll start with the offense and jump right into the QB discussion.

Photo courtesy of the Seattle Times.
From left to right, incumbent Jackson,
newcomer Matt Flynn,
and 3rd rd pick Russell Wilson.

Seattle wasted little time when the free agent market opened and quickly jumped on the Matt Flynn express.  It was clear from the onset that the Hawks were looking for an upgrade to last season's incumbent QB, Tarvaris Jackson.  To Jackson's credit, he played much of last season hurt and still put up respectable numbers, but he lacked excitement and too often looked just plain average.  To succeed in the NFL you need a QB that is more than just average.

Enter Matt Flynn.  With only limited playing time the past couple seasons, as Aaron Rodgers backup in Green Bay, Flynn flashed signs that he may be a special talent in this league.  In his final action with GB, all Flynn did was shatter a few team passing records and amped up his resume heading into free agency.
Not a bad idea for a guy who was looking for a starting opportunity in this league.

Matt Flynn running drills at Seattle OTA sessions.
Photo courtesy of NFL.com

Flynn won't jump off the page when you look at his bio.  He's 6'2" and 225lbs. (dripping wet)!  He's of average build, if not undersized, but he has the tools to be successful.  He's a smart QB that can take advantage of a defense and spread the field.  He has a quick release and really excels in the short to mid range passing game.  He does lack the arm strength to continually stretch a defense, but with his accuracy in the short game he can occasionally beat you deep if you let him.  Flynn won't beat you with his legs either, but has enough presence to move the pocket and make quick decisions down field.  For the money Seattle shelled out for Flynn, it would be a huge dent in the Pete Carroll/John Schneider era if he wasn't named the starter before the end of training camp.

So where does that leave Tarvaris Jackson, you ask?  My thought is that Seattle gives him a real opportunity to compete the first few weeks of training camp and then trades or releases him on or around the third preseason game.  Most likely he will be released.  It doesn't make much sense for the Seahawks to hold onto him as he clearly doesn't want to be a backup.  There will be several teams looking for a last minute replacement and he should be able to slide in and man the offense for someone, if not only for a short while.  Jackson has no trade value either, so releasing him makes sense for both sides.  Plus, Seattle drafted Russell Wilson, out of the University of Wisconsin, in the third round of this year's draft.  Drafting Wilson was just another sign that Seattle planned to move on from Jackson, after only one year at the helm.

Photo courtesy of profootballzone.com

Seattle stunned the league when, NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell stepped to the podium and announced that the Seahawks were selecting Russell Wilson with their pick in the third round.  Wilson was one of a few surprise picks by the Seahawks in this year's draft, but we'll talk about that later.  Wilson does not fit the mold of your typical NFL quarterback.  In fact, many had predicted he would be drafted later and most likely used as a  WR or gadget player, similar to former Steeler, Antwaan Randle El.  Wilson is considerably undersized when you compare him to what a NFL QB is supposed to look like.  At only 5'11", he might need a ladder to see over the mountainous linemen in this league.  But that's where you would be sorely mistaken.  Wilson not only excelled at the college level, but he did so in his final season at Wisconsin behind one of the tallest offensive lines in all of football, NFL teams included.  What Wilson does well, is he has great pocket presence but utilizes his mobility to create open passing lanes.  His ability to scramble and his surprisingly strong arm make him dangerous in any situation.  Wilson figures to wind up as the Seahawk's backup QB this season, behind Flynn, after they release Jackson.  Carroll won't just give it to him though, he will have to earn his wings.  Many people think he has a shot at snagging the starting job, but I don't see that as a realistic option here.  If Wilson doesn't push Flynn during camp, look for Seattle to sign a veteran QB who's looking for a spot on someones roster, maybe the likes of a Mark Brunell.

Time will tell how this all plays out, but if Flynn does not end up the starter in Seattle look for Carroll and Schneider to start feeling the heat from fans and experts alike.