What they’re saying about the Mariners’ combined no-hitter

Kevin Millwood, Charlie Furbush, Stephen Pryor, Lucas Luetge, Brandon League and Tom Wilhelmsen combined for a no-hitter in a 1-0 victory over the Dodgers last night.

It was the 10th combined no-hitter in major league history and the first since six Astros combined to no-hit the Yankees on June 11, 2003. It was the third no-hitter thrown by the Mariners in their 35-year history and their first since Chris Bosio did it on April 22, 1993 against the Red Sox.

Here’s some reaction to the unique feat:

Jeff Sullivan of Lookout Landing: “It’s such an anti-history way of going about things. So much is lost when a guy who’s throwing a no-hitter has to be removed. Much of the charm is gone, and the fans watching resign themselves to the reality that they won’t see one guy turn in a legendary performance. But then you remove the guy who replaced the first guy, and then you remove the guy who replaced the second guy, and then you remove the guy who replaced the third guy, and then you remove the guy who replaced the fourth guy, and you go all the way back around again to being incredible. The Mariners have a twelve-man pitching staff. Half of them combined to no-hit a team.”

Jesus Montero, via the Associated Press: “He was surprised,” said Montero, referring to Wilhelmsen. “He didn’t know. … I jumped on him and I was like, `Hey, it’s a no-hitter!’ And he went, `What?!” And then he was so happy after that. He was so focused on the game. That’s what happened.”

Tim Wilhelmsen, via ESPN.com: “Well, I mean, I knew what was going on. But no, I have a brain fart every so often and just focused so hard on getting one thing done. It’s not like you forget, but it’s like you put it off to the side. And then it’s like, ‘Holy cow, we just did it,’ and Montero is in my arms. And then it’s, ‘Holy Cow, we just did it!’ ‘HOLY COW, WE JUST DID IT!’ Something like that. It’s there; it just takes a minute to get it, pick it out and place it in.”

Kevin Millwood, via MLB.com: “I’m excited, I’m excited for all these guys who came into the game out of the bullpen. I guess it’s a little bit more exciting for those guys when they can be a part of it. I wasn’t very happy when I came out of the game, and it took me a couple innings to get a little excited about it, but those guys got all the tough outs.”

Brendan Ryan, via MLB.com: “Wow, he can really fly,” said Ryan, referring to the close play on Dee Gordon in the ninth inning. “I got it cleanly, I got to it quick, I thought, and got it out of my glove. It was a decent throw. I’m still shocked it was that close.”

Jim Caple of ESPN.com: “Consider this: The man who started it (Kevin Millwood) is a 37-year-old journeyman who watched the final three innings on TV in the clubhouse while undergoing treatment for a sore groin. He didn’t even get the win because the game was still tied at 0 when he left. The winning pitcher (Stephen Pryor) is a 22-year-old rookie who was in Triple-A Tacoma the last time the Mariners played a game in Seattle. And the reliever on the mound at the end (Wilhelmsen) is a former bartender. Man, baseball is great, isn’t it?”