HOUSTON – The Mariners didn’t win against the Astros on Saturday, which isn’t surprising since they’ve only done it once in 16 games this season and have lost their past 10 games vs. Houston. They were competitive, however, in a 2-1 defeat and avoided being a dubious part of baseball history on multiple levels.
They didn’t allow Justin Verlander to match the defining moment of Johnny Vander Meer’s baseball career of throwing no-hitters in back-to-back starts. And they also weren’t the first team to be no-hit three times in a season.
After no-hitting the Blue Jays in Toronto, Verlander was trying to match Vander Meer’s feat, which occurred in 1938.