John Means considered himself the recipient of the Orioles’ final Opening Day roster spot in 2019, having contemplated retirement the year before when he was in Double-A for the third straight season. An unexpected debut that September showed him how much work he had to do, and an offseason spent rebuilding himself allowed him to pitch his way into the Orioles’ rotation and, eventually, the All-Star Game.
On Wednesday, the 28-year-old left-hander became something more. In a 6-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park, Means pitched the Orioles’ first solo no-hitter since Jim Palmer shut down the Oakland Athletics in 1969.