SEATTLE -- Without question, 2018 seemed like a tale of two seasons for James Paxton. And it's no coincidence that Paxton's early success and second-half struggles closely mirrored those of his Mariners.
Remember the dominant 16-strikeout game by the big Canadian and the subsequent no-hitter in Toronto in May? Those were the days, the glory days, for a Seattle squad that seemingly had everything going its way in the first three months of the season.
Paxton pitched only every fifth game, so the downturn of fortunes wasn't all on the lanky lefty from Ladner, B.