SEATTLE (AP) — Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller was on the verge of pitching history Thursday night, taking a no-hit effort into the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Angels before Nolan Schanuel broke it up with a bloop single to right field.
Through the first six innings, Miller was nearly untouchable — striking out seven batters and not allowing a single walk. He threw 50 of his 69 pitches for strikes. The only Angel to reach base before the seventh inning did so without a hit: Denzer Guzmán advanced to second base in the fourth inning on a throwing error by Seattle third baseman J.P. Crawford with two outs.
After Schanuel’s single ended the no-hit bid, Guzmán added another single in the same inning. Despite the hits, Miller worked through the seventh and preserved a 1-0 lead.
The 27-year-old Miller entered Thursday’s game with a 3-2 record and a 1.97 ERA. He missed the start of the season after straining his left oblique muscle during spring training, eventually joining Seattle’s rotation in mid-May.
On the other side, Angels rookie Walbert Ureña was also flirting with a no-hitter, holding Seattle hitless through five innings before Crawford led off the sixth with a double to snap that bid as well.
The last Mariners pitcher to throw a no-hitter was James Paxton, who accomplished the feat on May 8, 2018, in a road game at Toronto. Paxton, who grew up in Canada, made that a memorable moment for his home country.
For the Angels, they haven’t been on the losing end of a no-hitter since September 11, 1999 — the longest active streak without being no-hit in all of Major League Baseball. In that game, Minnesota Twins left-hander Eric Milton shut them out 7-0 at Minnesota.
