Randy Johnson Throws the First No-Hitter in Mariners History

On June 2, 1990, Randy Johnson no-hit the Detroit Tigers 2-0 at the Kingdome in Seattle, throwing the first no-hitter in the thirteen-year history of the Mariners franchise. He was 26 years old, stood 6-foot-10, and had a fastball that consistently registered above 94 miles per hour. He also had almost no idea where it was going.

Johnson struck out eight batters and walked six. He threw 138 pitches. A Detroit baserunner reached on a throwing error by shortstop Mike Brumley in the fourth inning, so the no-hitter survived contact with the infield even though perfection did not. The most dangerous moment came in the sixth, when Johnson walked three straight Tigers to load the bases with two outs. Chet Lemon came to the plate with a .314 career average against Seattle. Johnson fell behind in the count, then came back to strike Lemon out, ending the threat and keeping the zeros intact.

Coming into the game, Johnson had a 3-3 record and a 4.73 ERA. He was still more potential than product, a left-hander whose size and velocity scared hitters but whose control problems kept him from putting together complete performances. The Montreal Expos had traded him to Seattle in May 1989 as part of a deal for Mark Langston, a trade that looked lopsided in Montreal's favor at the time.

Manager Jim Lefebvre told reporters afterward, "He just went from being a guy with all the potential in the world to being a part of baseball history." The final out came on a strikeout of Mike Heath, a 97-mile-per-hour fastball that left no argument. A crowd of 20,014 watched Johnson throw the ball that night with the kind of force that suggested much more was coming. He would go on to win five Cy Young Awards, throw a perfect game at age 40, and strike out 4,875 batters over 22 seasons. The no-hitter in the Kingdome was the first signal of what the Big Unit would become.