It was an epic night at T-Mobile Park; the Seattle Mariners and Atlanta Braves played a thriller that made us all remember why Major League Baseball is the most incredible sporting event. In a dual no-hitter, the Braves dropped the game late, leaving them tied with Philadelphia with 19 wins on the season.
Braves Drop Max Fried’s No-Hitter
A Classic Encounter
The Mariners and Braves gave us an unforgettable spectacle on the first night of their three-game series. Both teams’ starting pitchers, Max Fried for the Braves and Bryce Miller for the Mariners, pulled off six hitless innings. Ronald Acuña Jr., provided some exciting moments. However, the night belonged to Seattle’s Mitch Garver, who ended the game with a two-run homer in the ninth inning.
This led to a 2-1 victory for the Mariners, a thrilling conclusion to an interleague matchup between division leaders. The Braves, leading the National League East, suffered only their third loss in the past 14 games. On the other hand, the Mariners, leaders of the American League West, celebrated their 10th victory in 13 games.
Braves blow a no hit opportunity
Acuña broke the double no-hitter with an infield single at the start of the seventh inning. He stole second and third on back-to-back pitches before scoring on Ozzie Albies’ double to right-center field.
Fried was electric with six hitless innings, only allowing two walks to seven strikeouts. It was baffling when he was pulled in the 6th while still pitching a no-hitter. It was a close game, and he had reached a 100-pitch count, but it was still more than a little questionable. It’s frowned upon to talk to a pitcher in the midst of a no-no let alone pull him.
At the same time, Miller went seven innings and gave up one run on two hits, with one walk and ten strikeouts until Acuña had enough. This marked the 17th consecutive game where a Mariners’ starter allowed two runs or fewer, extending the franchise record.
“Their guy was pretty lights out,” Fried said. “He was throwing well. Really commanding all his pitches and keeping us off balance, so I knew I had to try to match him as much as I could.”
Garver, who joined the Mariners in the offseason from the World Series champion Texas Rangers, had a batting average of .139. Nevertheless, he showed up in the ninth inning, following a leadoff single from Jorge Polanco into left field, to put the game away in a walk-off fashion.
Garver hit a 3-2 cut fastball from Braves reliever A.J. Minter an estimated 412 off the facade of the second deck. The joy was evident on his face as he circled the bases, later receiving a Gatorade shower from his teammates.
“That was my first career walk-off home run in professional baseball, so it was pretty special for me,” Garver said. “And in a time where things aren’t going my way and I’m not feeling quite like myself, to be able to come through for the team in any way, shape, or form is a huge W, so I was really happy for that.”
The responsibility of following this pitching duel on Tuesday will fall to Atlanta’s Reynaldo Lopez (2-0, 0.72 ERA) and Seattle’s Luis Castillo (2-4, 4.15). Lopez has a 1-2 record with a 9.19 ERA in seven career appearances against Seattle, including two starts. On the other hand, Castillo has a 2-1, 2.25 record in five previous starts versus the Braves.
The rest of the series will be the must-watch games of the week. Hopefully, the Braves can come back and take this series, locking themselves back as the top team in the MLB.
Main Image: © Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports
