Means throws Orioles' first solo no hitter since 1969

LOS ANGELES: Baltimore pitcher John Means threw the third no-hitter of this Major League Baseball season on Wednesday, striking out 12 in the Orioles' 6-0 win over the Mariners in Seattle.

The left-hander, who had never pitched a complete game before, came agonizingly close to a rare perfect game.

But one Mariners runner reached base in the third inning when Sam Haggerty struck out but advanced when the catcher couldn't corral the wild pitch.

Means faced the minimum 27 batters as Haggerty was then caught stealing.

The last Orioles pitcher to throw a solo no-hitter was Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, against the Oakland Athletics on August 13, 1969.

A group of Orioles pitchers combined for a no-hitter against the A's on July 13, 1991.

Overall it was the 10th no-hitter in club history -- six since the franchise moved to Baltimore and four when they were the St. Louis Browns.

Already this season Joe Musgrove had tossed the first no-hitter in San Diego's 53-year franchise history, and Carlos Rodon threw the 20th no-hitter in White Sox history.

Four-time All-Star Madison Bumgarner of the Arizona Diamondbacks no-hit the Atlanta Braves in a seven-inning, 7-0 victory, but that effort didn't go into the books as an official no-hitter because the contest wasn't over nine innings.