Combined No-Hitter A Rare Baseball Feat

The Mariners tied a major league record Friday night by using six pitchers to throw a no-hitter.

Dee Gordon: The No-Hitter's Natural Enemy

No one wants to be no-hit. It's humiliating. And Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Dee Gordon did his damnedest to avoid the no-hitter. It was a valiant, eventually futile effort. But, man, did he try.

In the top of the fourth inning, Gordon tried to bunt for a base hit. This is early enough in the game to avoid the unwritten-rules snafu, so it was perfectly fine in baseball etiquette. Plus, the unwritten rules go on and on and on. Here's one that you didn't even know existed:

You can't bunt for a hit to break up a no-hitter after the sixth inning. Unless, like, Kevin Millwood is pitching. Because he isn't pitching a no-hitter. Come on. Not happening. I mean, unless he hurts his groin and comes out for a reliever. And what are the odds on that? Like, a billion-to-one.

But it was the fourth, and it was fine to bunt. And Kyle Seager made a heckuva play:

The real drama, though, came in the ninth inning, when Gordon led off against reliever Tom Wilhelmsen. Brendan Ryan had just come into the game as a defensive replacement, and it's a baseball truism that the ball always finds the defensive replacements. With a no-hitter intact, of course Ryan has to field a tough chance right away.

Looks close. How close?

Yeeeeeeesh. Looks safe. Tie goes to the runner. Wouldn't bet a finger on it, though. About the closest play you can imagine.

The Dodgers were no-hit, but it wasn't because of a lack of effort on Dee Gordon's part. Dude tried. And he wasn't excited with the results.

Mariners Toss Combined No-Hitter Against Dodgers

Kevin Millwood and five Seattle Mariners relievers combined to throw a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers, winning 1-0. This was the tenth combined no-hitter in major-league history and the first since Roy Oswalt and five relievers threw a no-hitter for the Houston Astros in 2003.

Millwood started the game and pitched six no-hit innings before leaving with a groin strain after one warmup pitch in the seventh inning. He was followed by Charlie Furbush (⅔ of an inning), Stephen Pryor (⅓ of an inning), Lucas Luetge (⅓ of an inning), Brandon League (⅔ of an inning), and Tom Wilhelmsen (a full inning!).

Dee Gordon led off the ninth inning with a slow chopper to defensive replacement Brendan Ryan, who threw Gordon out by a wafer-thin margin -- a call close enough to bring out Dodgers manager Don Mattingly to argue. Ryan snatched an Elian Herrera liner for the second out of the inning, and Andre Ethier grounded out to Dustin Ackley for the final out of the inning.

The no-hitter was the third in Mariners history, and the first since Chris Bosio in 1993.

Mariners No-Hitting Dodgers Through 8 Innings

Despite drawing two walks to leadoff the inning, the Dodgers again failed to get a hit and have now been no-hit through eight innings against the Mariners.

Stephen Pryor started the eighth inning for the Mariners and promptly walked Bobby Abreu and Jerry Hairston Jr. Lucas Luetge replaced Pryor and recorded one out when James Loney sacrificed the runners ahead. The Mariners then turned to Brandon League, who got A.J. Ellis to flyout to left before he struck out Tony Gwynn Jr. to end the inning.

The Mariners hold a slim 1-0 lead heading into the bottom the eighth inning. Seattle will likely turn to Tom Wilhelmsen to finish off the no-hitter in the ninth. The Dodgers will have the top of the order due up with Dee Gordon leading off, followed by Elian Herrera and Andre Ethier.

For more on the Mariners, visit Lookout Landing and SB Nation Seattle. For more on the Dodgers, check out True Blue LA and SB Nation Los Angeles.

Mariners Working On No-Hitter Against Dodgers Through 7

The Los Angeles Dodgers have the best record in baseball, but through seven innings against the Seattle Mariners Friday night, they don't have a hit.