SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – MAY 18: Spencer Turnbull #56 and Eric Haase #13 of the Detroit Tigers celebrate after Turnbull’s no-hitter against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on May 18, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. The Tigers beat the Mariners 5-0. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Detroit Tigers fans reacted in glee watching Spencer Turnbull throw the franchise’s eighth no-hitter in history on Tuesday night.
The 2021 MLB season is a little over one month old, and fans have already seen four no-hitters thus far. That was until late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning, depending on your geographical location.
Spencer Turnbull of the Detroit Tigers threw a nine inning no-hitter in the team’s 5-0 win over the Seattle Mariners. It was the franchise’s eighth no-hitter in history and the team’s first since Justin Verlander did so back in 2011.
Even though the game ended while most people were sound asleep, there were still plenty of Tigers fans wide awake celebrating Turnbull’s no-no.
Tigers fans react to Spencer Turnbull’s no-hitter against Mariners
Turnbull struck out nine batters on 117 pitches, but lost the perfect game due to issuing walks to rookie Jarred Kelenic in the fourth inning and Jose Marmolejos in the bottom of the ninth.
With this latest start in the books, Turnbull now carries a 2.88 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP and 3-2 record. Additionally, Turnbull issued 31 strikes and eight walks through six starts.
As for the Mariners, this is now the second-time they were no-hit this season. The first occurred about two weeks ago, when they went hitless against Baltimore Orioles starter John Means. Shortly afterwards, they were nearly no-hit by Zach Plesac of the Cleveland Indians, but avoided it in the eighth inning with a single by J.P. Crawford. But, they could not avoid the magic of Turnbull on Tuesday evening.
Remember when it felt like MLB turned into a hitter’s league? 2021 would like a word, as it has now seen five no-hitters thus far in the season. it is only mid-May. At this pace, we can probably expect two handfuls worth of no-hitters by the end of the campaign.