Blue Jays: James Paxton Throws No-Hitter On Canadian Soil

Canadian born James Paxton threw a no-no against the Blue Jays on Tuesday night to open up the series, just the third no-hitter of the season.

Although everyone was secretly against Mariners left-hander James Paxton as the game progressed, you couldn’t help but cheer for him as he chased the elusive no-hit bid. Paxton, born and raised in Ladner, BC, becomes the first Canadian pitcher in history to accomplish this feat on Canadian soil.

Overall, Paxton, nicknamed “the Big Maple” due to his large stature, struck out seven Blue Jays and walked three, becoming just the second Canadian pitcher in history to throw a no-hitter. Paxton was on from the very beginning, ambushing Blue Jay hitters with an outstanding fastball and a ridiculously rapid curveball. He looked like he was in trouble at times, but quickly regained his command and was able to shut down Jays rallies as they happened.

The Mariners made some fantastic defensive plays behind Paxton. Center fielder Dee Gordon made some great catchers, and third baseman Kyle Seager made a great diving stop at third to save the no-hit bid. First baseman Ryon Healy also made some very impressive scoops to keep runners at bay.

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While it’s certainly disappointing to see the Blue Jays get no-hit, it is surely a bittersweet occasion for many Canadian baseball fans. The crowd of just over 20,000 gave Paxton a standing ovation as he exited the field. Paxton responded by showing the crowd the giant tattoo of a maple leaf emblazoned on his right arm.

The final score was 5-0, and the M’s managed 12 hits against five different Blue Jays pitchers. Marcus Stroman started the game and went 5.0 innings, giving up five earned runs.

Awesomely enough, Paxton threw a 100 mph fastball to Teoscar Hernandez in the penultimate at-bat of the ballgame, flexing his muscles one last time before getting Josh Donaldson to ground out.

Congratulations to James Paxton. He may have angered a slew of Blue Jays fans, but he’s an outstanding Canadian pitcher who tossed a simply brilliant game tonight. The Jays will try again tomorrow night at 7:07 PM EST.

Next: Blue Jays place Aledmys Diaz on DL, recall Richard Urena