Orioles' John Means throws no-hitter, misses perfect game on dropped third strike

May 5 (UPI) -- Baltimore Orioles starter John Means tossed a no-hitter in a 6-0 win over the Mariners on Wednesday at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, narrowly missing out on a perfect game due to a wild pitch on a strikeout.

Means retired all 27 batters he faced in the Orioles' victory, but he allowed one base runner when Sam Haggerty reached first on a third-strike wild pitch in the third inning. Baltimore then caught Haggerty attempting to steal second, but the wild pitch nullified Means' bid for perfection.

The 28-year-old Means is believed to be the first pitcher in MLB history to lose a perfect game on a dropped third strike. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he is the first pitcher to throw a non-perfect no-hitter with no walks, no hit batters and no errors.

Despite losing his bid for a perfect game, Means settled for the first individual no-hitter for the Orioles since Jim Palmer in 1969 -- the longest stretch for any club in the majors without an individual no-hitter.

"To be honest, I can't even put it into words right now. I felt OK all game, didn't really have a changeup until the end, but glad I got it going," Means said after the win.

Means recorded 12 strikeouts and induced 26 swings and misses against the Mariners. He threw first-pitch strikes to 26 of the 27 batters he faced -- the highest percentage of first-pitch strikes in a complete game during the pitch-tracking era (since 1988).

Means, an All-Star selection in 2019, improved to 4-0 with a 1.37 ERA this season. He is the third pitcher to record a no-hitter in 2021, joining the San Diego Padres' Joe Musgrove and the Chicago White Sox's Carlos Rodon.

The most recent perfect game came from the Mariners' Felix Hernandez in 2012. Matt Cain and Philip Humber also tossed perfect games that season.