AJ Pollock homered to break up a no-hit bid in the eighth inning and the Seattle Mariners defeated the host Oakland Athletics 2-1 on Tuesday night.
Pollock lined a solo shot to left field off A’s reliever Richard Lovelady (0-1) with one out in the eighth, and Jose Caballero followed with a double to left. After J.P. Crawford grounded out, sending Caballero to third, Oakland brought in Jeurys Familia to face Ty France.
The move didn’t work as France walked and Jarred Kelenic followed with a double into the right field corner to score the go-ahead run.
Five Mariners pitchers combined on a three-hitter with 16 strikeouts. Reliever Gabe Speier (1-0) earned his first major league victory and Paul Sewald worked the ninth for his eighth save of the season.
The game featured a pitching duel between a pair of rookie right-handers, Seattle’s Bryce Miller and Oakland’s Mason Miller.
Mason Miller, a third-round pick in 2021 who was making just his third major league start, pitched seven no-hit innings in bidding to become the first A’s starter to earn a victory this season after 15 straight losses. He walked four and struck out six.
Bryce Miller was nearly as good. Seattle’s top pitching prospect, a fourth-round pick in 2021, was called up from Double-A Arkansas to make his major league debut.
He retired the first 16 batters before Tony Kemp grounded a single to center field with one out in the sixth. Kemp advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on Esteury Ruiz’s double into the left field corner. Bryce Miller didn’t walk a batter and struck out 10, a franchise record for a pitcher making his debut.
Bryce Miller joined Johnny Cueto (2008 Cincinnati Reds) and Stephen Strasburg (2010 Washington Nationals) as the only pitchers ever to strike out at least 10 without issuing a walk in their major league debut.
Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez, the reigning American League Rookie of Year, was a late scratch because of lower back tightness.
–Field Level Media
