The Seattle Mariners were hoping to steal a win from the best team in baseball on Friday night as they hosted the Los Angeles Dodgers. What no one was counting on was that Kevin Millwood and the Seattle bullpen would combine to no-hit the Dodgers in a 1-0 victory.
Millwood held the Dodgers hitless through six innings and faced the bare minimum, walking just one batter and needing only 68 pitches to get through the first six frames. However, after throwing one warm-up pitch before the seventh inning, Millwood was forced to depart his potential no-hitter with a mild right groin strain. It would be up to the bullpen from here on out.
Charlie Furbush allowed a baserunner in the top of the seventh, but he and Stephen Pryor combined to keep the Dodgers hitless through seven.
The Mariners finally scored in the bottom of the seventh inning on a Kyle Seager single that went just over the glove of a leaping Dee Gordon. The Mariners had eight hits in the game, all singles.
In the top of the eighth inning, Pryor walked the first two batters he faced and was lifted for Lucas Luetge, who pitched to James Loney. The runners were bunted to second and third by Loney, and Brandon League entered the game. League induced a fly ball to shallow left field, where Chone Figgins made a spectacular running catch and falling throw to prevent the runner at third from tagging up and scoring. League then struck out Tony Gwynn Jr. swinging to keep the no-hitter going through eight.
Tom Wilhelmsen came in for the ninth inning to attempt to lock down the no-hitter. Gordon was called out at first on a swinging bunt to lead off the inning. Seager threw out Gordon on a bang-bang play that the Dodgers shortstop and manager Don Mattingly both protested. Wilhelmsen then got Elian Herrera to line out to Seager, bringing up Andre Ethier with two outs. Ethier fouled off the first pitch and then hit a grounder to second base for the put-out and the no-hitter.
Pryor was awarded the win. In all, the six Mariners pitchers combined for three walks and nine strikeouts in the unorthodox, but nonetheless thrilling, no-hitter.
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