Tag Archives: John Means

John Means is the story today – not the Baltimore Orioles. He became the first Oriole since Jim Palmer in 1969 to throw a no-hitter. (Four different Oriole pitchers shared a no-hitter in 1991.) That‘s pretty select company. Means’ line: 9 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 12 K.

Obviously a no-no doesn’t really mean much unless you score some runs. And the Orioles did; DJ Stewart and Ramon Urias would smack RBI-singles in the second inning. I’m theory those two runs would have been enough, but Pat Valaika would smack a solo homer in the seventh, and Trey Mancini added some insurance runs in the eighth with a three-run homer.

The image of John Means sitting alone in the dugout in the later innings isn’t one that Orioles fans will soon forget. Heck, the entire game is one that Orioles fans won’t soon forget. And let’s be frank; this much-maligned franchise and fanbase deserved this moment. It was a long time coming.

And one can’t even begin to imagine what was going through John Means’ head after the birth of his son this past off season, and the death of his father last year. And now this. It had to be a heck of a moment.

For the record, this easily could have been a perfect game. A Seattle hitter (Haggerty) struck out in the third, but the ball rolled away from the catcher. Haggerty took first base and was promptly thrown out stealing. All other things being equal, if not for that play we’re talking about a perfect game.

There were a couple of close calls. In the eighth inning a ball was hit to the warning track, but caught by Austin Hays. In a lot of parks that might have been a home run, which obviously would have broken up the no-hitter. Heck maybe even at Camden Yards. But today’s game was in Seattle – not Oriole Park. So it was an out.

Even the last out…could have been a flair into the outfield. But games such as no-hitters or perfect games always require great defense behind the starting pitcher. And we saw it today. And it won’t be quickly forgotten.

I’ve obviously glossed over the overall game highlights. Because in games like this they’re almost unimportant. ALMOST. But make no mistake that the Mancini three-run homer was huge at the time. It gave the O’s a sizable lead. Which in theory may have allowed them to relax a bit.

But here’s another point; the unwritten codes of baseball dictate no bunting in a no-hitter (after the seventh inning). But what happens in a close game? A 3-0 lead in theory is a save situation.

A smaller lead might have given Seattle an opening to lay down a bunt to break up the no-hitter, and justify it by saying it was a close game. Mancini’s home run took that option away.

As I’ve said, the Orioles and Orioles fans won’t soon forget this game. And I hope that people realize what happened here. Richard Nixon was President the last time a single Oriole pitcher threw a no-hitter. Let that sink in. Let it all sink in. John Means, of the Baltimore Orioles, threw a no-hitter today.

If results thus far this year are any indication, the Baltimore Orioles can only beat Oakland if John Means is on the mound. Means’ steady hand newt Oakland on Sunday at Camden Yards, and last night in Oakland. Means’ line: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 9 K.

Yes you read that correctly; nine strikeouts. Means has had a great start to the season for the Orioles, and he’s taking full advantage of the opportunity he’s being given. I’ve even seen some fans online suggest that he should be traded for prospects. I suppose anything’s possible. But Means has the makings of a pitcher you want to keep for a long time. Unequivocally, I think that would be a bad mistake.

Oakland did take a 1-0 lead in the second on a Murphy solo homer. However solo homers generally don’t beat you. Although…I suppose one could say that they beat Oakland in a way.

The third inning told the tale of the game. Cedric Mullins tied the game at one with a solo homer. That brought Austin Hays to the plate, and he took the Orioles into the lead with a solo shot of his own. Back-to-back homers for the O’s was the story. So while it’s fashionable to say that solo homers won’t beat you, it’s safe to say that enough solo homer runs will. Two were enough last night.

Mullins would add a third run in the fifth on an RBI-groundout. Oakland’s Moreland would bring them back to within one in the seventh with a solo home run of his own. But after Means exited the Orioles’ pen was sure handed, and they closed out the game with no further incident.

The series continues this afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum. Matt Harvey gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Oakland’s Jesus Luzardo. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

The sad thing is that John Means should have been the story for the Baltimore Orioles today. He may well have turned in his best outing as a starting pitching this afternoon in Arlington, TX. Means’ line: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K.

Perhaps his best outing as a started is a bit much – his Opening Day start was pretty good. But this one is right up there, needless to say. The Birds sent Means to the mound this afternoon with a chance to sweep in Texas. They were unable to do that, but due in no part to anything Means did or didn’t do. He was magnificent the entire time he was in the game.

One thing I did notice on twitter is that a lot of people were critical of Brandon Hyde‘s decision to pull Means after seven innings. I’ve at times criticized Hyde for pulling starters early – but in the fourth or fifth inning of games. Seven innings is a bit different, especially after 93 pitches. I think he was pulled at the appropriate moment. Hyde on Means’ outing (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

I just thought he was in total command. I thought he had a great fastball that he was locating, thought he threw some really good curveballs, the changeup was there. Seven shutout innings, nine punchouts, pretty much says it all right there. Two really good starters that were on today. Pretty good baseball game. Two really good pitching performances by both sides

Unfortunately for the Birds, they couldn’t score either – as Hyde alluded in the above quote, two great pitching performances on both sides. The game went to extra innings at a scoreless tie. Maikel Franco was at third in the top of the tenth, and Trey Mancini sent a single to right field. Franco was thrown out at home plate by a country mile trying to score, as he held up at third thinking he’d have to tag up.

However Brandon Hyde argued Texas catcher Trevino blocked home plate without the ball, which is against the rules. Hyde was emphatic in demanding a replay review, but home plate umpire Sam Holbrook seemed to not want to explore the rule. He eventually huddled with the three other umpires, and the crew decided that nobody had seen any evidence of blocking the plate. Texas would eventually win 1-0 on an RBI-single by Lowe in the last of the tenth.

Rule 7.13 says: Unless the catcher is in possession of the ball, the catcher cannot block the pathway of the runner as he is attempting to score. If, in the judgment of the Umpire, the catcher, without possession of the ball, blocks the pathway of the runner, the Umpire shall call or signal the runner safe. My personal opinion is that Trevino was well into the path of the runner before the ball arrived. In the opinion of the umpiring crew, that wasn’t the case. But it appeared to be.

Sometimes you have to deal with calls like that in sports. But it sure can be a bitter pill to swallow. For the record, it’s also listed in the rule book as a judgement call. That means that the Orioles couldn’t have played under protest or anything like that. It’s also worth mentioning that Texas would have still gotten to hit in the bottom of the tenth, and they would have begun the inning with a runner on base. But that’s sometimes the way the ball bounces. Although it appeared to bounce in a way that gave Texas a break this afternoon.

Once starter John Means was able to settle down in the first game of two against Seattle today, he looked pretty good. Given that the game was only seven innings due to MLB’s doubleheader rule, I’m not sure what constitutes a quality start in this game. But Means may have pitched one. Means’ line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

Means gave up solo homer to France and Murphy in the first and second innings respectively. But again, after that he was pretty solid. He also surrendered an RBI-single to Haniger in the second, and that was it.

The issue was that his mound counterpart, Seattle’s Sheffield, was equally as good. He surrendered a two-run homer to Ramon Urias in the last of the fifth, which cut the Seattle lead to 3-2. Other than that, he kept the Orioles off the board.

But after Sheffield exited in following the sixth inning, things got interesting. With a runner on second, DJ Stewart smacked an RBI-double, tying the game at three. Which meant that we had to go to an eighth inning, which technically is extra innings. (Due to MLB’s doubleheader rule, which makes for two seven-inning games.)

However Seager’s RBI-double in the top of the eighth proved to be the eventual winning run for Seattle. However you have to admire the fight in the Birds, battling back against the Seattle bullpen. And they’ll get another shot at them very soon again this evening.

The series and the doubleheader will continue here in short order at Camden Yards with game two. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Nick Margevicius. The game will start at approximately 7:15 PM.

We saw history this afternoon for the Baltimore Orioles. John Means provided one of the greatest if not the greatest Opening Day performances in franchise history, against Boston at Fenway Park. Means surrendered a base hit on the first at-bat of the ballgame, had a runner reach on an error to start the second, and then proceeded to retire the following 18 hitters in a row. Means’ line: 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K.

I suppose that where this ranks in terms of all-time performances by an Orioles’ pitcher on Opening Day is in the eyes of the beholder. But it’s certainly the best in my lifetime that I’ve ever seen. Means of course lost his father during last season, and also witnessed the birth of his son this past off season. Needless to say, it was an emotional moment for him to take the mound today. But there can be little doubt that he had his number one fan behind him in the sky.

The only drawback to today’s game, at least at first, was that Boston’s Eovaldi seemed to match Means pitch-for-pitch. The Orioles did have a few balls trickle through for base hits, but Boston would always seem to squash the rally. But eventually the O’s got more traffic on the bases and chased Eovaldi.

The O’s had the bases loaded with one out in the top of the sixth. Ryan Mountcastle, making his first ever Opening Day start (as the DH), came to the plate, and sent a deep shot towards left. It bounced off the green monster, netting Mountcastle and the Orioles a two-RBI double. And that’s key; obviously you can’t win if you don’t score (no matter how good your pitching is). But you don’t want to waste a performance like what Means put on today – whether it’s Opening Day, the last game, or anywhere in between.

The O’s would get in insurance run in the eighth on an RBI-single by Anthony Santander. And that’s just as key of a thing as the aforementioned two-RBI single by Mountcastle. You always want insurance runs; you want as many runs as you can possibly get. But especially in a park like Fenway. As the ultimate hitter’s park, you can never be too careful.

So a day late, but the O’s start the season 1-0. However you never want to put too much emphasis into one game – especially Opening Day. But the story du jour is John Means. Heck, he might be the story du jour across the entire league. Needless to say, it’s a game Means will never forget. And given his personal circumstances, it probably will resonate just a bit louder than it otherwise would have.

But make no mistake it would have resonated loudly anyways. It was an absolute virtuoso performance on all fronts. And make no mistake that it goes down in franchise history as one of the best ever by an Opening Day starter.

The series continues tomorrow afternoon at Fenway Park. Matt Harvey gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Tanner Houck Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

The Baltimore Orioles sent John Means to the mound for his final start of the spring in North Port, FL against Atlanta this evening. Means wasn’t as sharp as he would have liked. Now where close. Means’ line: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

However we found out something interesting after Means left the game. He mentioned that he and a few other Orioles received the COVID vaccine earlier today. And as a result he started feeling tired during his outing.

A lot of people will question this and wonder why an athlete would get the COVID vaccine this close to the season. First and foremost, it goes without saying that if you want the shot, you should get it whenever it’s made available to you. But…would you rather he had gotten it Thursday morning before his Opening Day start? So I think the timing is fine. And it won’t shock me when this is only the first time we hear about a player not being 100% due to getting the vaccine shot.

Means surrendered a solo homer to Acuna in the first inning. Three innings later Riley’s bases-clearing double extended the lead to 4-1. Jackson’s RBI-double later in the inning chased Means, and have Atlanta a 5-1 lead.

Ramon Urias‘ RBI-single in the fifth accounted for the Birds’ first run on the night. Adley Rutschman‘s RBI-double in the eighth accounted for their second. And Atlanta would plate three more runs in the last of the fifth and in the seventh. And those additional runs were of the insurance type, as Tyler Nevin‘s thre-run homer in the eighth for the O’s closer. But still no cigar, as the O’s dropped this one 8-5.

The bit about Means getting the COVID vaccine sounds like an excuse. Maybe it is. However as I said that’s something Orioles’ fans should be thankful that he and his teammates did during spring training. And it won’t be the last time we see a player having this issue.

The Orioles made a trade before tonight’s game. The sent cash considerations to Cleveland for RHP Adam Plutko. Over four years in Cleveland he has a .520 win percentage, and a 5.05 ERA. As a corresponding move they designated Yolmer Sanchez for assignment.

No indication what this means for the pitching staff or the infield. It’s an interesting time to make a trade, but it’s not surprising to see them picking up additional pitching. Either way, Plutko’s coming.

The Orioles will return to Ed Smith Stadium tomorrow afternoon to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Matt Harvey gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

John Means turned in perhaps the best start of the spring this evening at Ed Smith Stadium against Atlanta. We saw, perhaps for the first time, Means return to his first half 2019 form, which netted him an all-star birth. Means’ line: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K.

Means indicated after his outing that he felt he was locating his non-breaking pitches well (Quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNSports):

I felt the fastball-changeup combination was good. I thought I was getting ahead and attacking the zone. Kind of felt in rhythm. I think body is recovering well and my arm feels good. Everything is working for the most part. Still probably need to throw a little bit more breaking balls, but other than that, I feel real good.

Means gave up a solo homer to Albies in the top of the fourth. And in terms of runs, that’s all he surrendered. Granted he only pitched four innings, but he put the team in a position to win the game. That’s all you can ask of a starter.

The O’s would tie the game at one in the last of the fifth on a sac fly/m-RBI by Cedric Mullins. Rio Ruiz would give them the lead an inning later on an RBI-double. Later in the inning Austin Hays would break the game wide open with a bases-clearing double, running the score to 5-1. Atlanta would tack a run on in the top of the fifth to close out the Birds’ 5-2 victory.

The other good news in this game (besides Means’ outing) was the clutch hitting of the likes of Mullins, Ruiz, and Hays. You have to have clutch hitting if you’re going to win games, and that shows that the Orioles have guys who know the situations in which they come up, and what they mean in terms of winning and losing.

The Orioles end this section of the schedule with a win. They’ll have an off day tomorrow, after which they’ll begin the “stretch run” of the spring so to speak. They won’t have another off day until March 30th, which will officially be after they break camp. Get your popcorn ready!

Baltimore Orioles’ starter John Means was hoping to at least make it out of the first inning. However in fairness to him, he dealt with an elongated at-bat on the first hitter, and Frazier smacked a very soft RBI-single to get a runner home later in the inning. While Means left with only two outs (after reaching his pitch count), nothing was squared up against him and nothing was hit hard. Means’ line: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K.

You might notice that the pitching line has Means pitching 1.2 innings. Keep in mind folks, this is spring training; everything goes. Means was lifted with two outs in the first inning, but was able to come back and pitch in the second and retired the side after giving up only one hit. Again, everything goes. Including someone coming back into the lineup if need be.

The Birds would even the score in the last of the first on a sac fly-RBI by Trey Mancini. However New York would strike again in the third. Voit’s RBI-single would give them the lead back at 2-1. Later in the inning Ford’s two-RBI double would give them a 4-1 lead. All of this off of reliever Paul Fry.

The O’s would net another run in the fourth, on an RBI-single by Cedric Mullins. Pitching would take over from there on both sides, and come the end of the seventh inning..the game was over. As was the case yesterday, both teams opted to end the game after seven innings as is their right in the spring. So when all was said and done, the Birds remained winless on the spring with a 4-2 loss to New York.

The takeaways from this game is that the Birds were able to get some traffic on the base paths against a very good team (and one who brought many of their regulars with them at that). Now that may have only netted them two runs, however that’ll come. If you get ducks on the pond, eventually you’ll find a way to get them home.

Chris Davis was to have started at first base this afternoon, however according to manager Brandon Hyde he sustained a lower back strain on Sunday against Pittsburgh:

He felt it tug on him a little bit on the fly ball to right.

Quote Courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

Davis is listed as day-to-day. He of course was on the injured list twice last season.

Tomorrow the Orioles head to the northern part of Sarasota County to take on the Atlanta Braves at CoolToday Park. Former and now current Oriole Wade LeBlanc gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Atlanta’s Drew Smyly. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.