Tigers, one out from combined no-hitter, blank Orioles, 1-0

DETROIT — There has never been a combined perfect game in major league history, but Beau Brieske and Brant Hurter had one going for seven innings Friday night.

A walk in the eighth spoiled that.

The Tigers haven't tossed a combined no-hitter since Matt Manning, Jason Foley and Alex Lange did it July 8, 2023.

But when lefty Tyler Holton took the mound in the ninth inning, he was looking to finish what Brieske, Hurter and Brenan Hanifee started.

With the Tigers up by a skinny run and the Comerica Park crowd on the edge of their seats and cheering every pitch, Holton got Emmanel Rivera to fly out to right field. He struck out pinch-hitter Coby Mayo looking after a nine-pitch battle.

Alas, it was not to be. Orioles' leadoff hitter Gunnar Henderson hit the next pitch into the right-field corner for a triple.

Holton, though, accomplished his most significant task. He struck out Anthony Santander to preserve the Tigers' 1-0 win in the first of three games against the Orioles.

This one might be going into the Tigers’ player development department’s video brochure. Because Hurter, the lefty who had allowed two runs or fewer in his last five outings, put on a strike-throwing clinic.

He entered the game as the bulk-innings reliever after Brieske opened and dispatched the first four hitters (16 pitches, 11 strikes). Hurter then proceeded to roll through 17 straight hitters.

Thirteen of his first 15 pitches were strikes. Through the fifth inning, he’d thrown 40 strikes and 10 balls. He fell behind one batter in that stretch. He struck out five of six through the fifth and sixth innings, including all three batters in the sixth.

In the seventh inning, he went to a full count before getting Henderson to ground out. Then he set down Santander on one pitch and punched out Cedric Mullins.

At that point, Hurter was at 63 pitches (49 strikes). Right-hander Hanifee was warming in the bullpen and Hurter was one batter away from starting through the Orioles’ order a third time.

Manager AJ Hinch sent Hurter back out for the eighth inning, but he wasn’t going to let him go through the order a third time. Especially not after he walked Adley Rutschman to start the eighth.

But Hurter left to a richly-deserved standing ovation from the crowd of 25,253 at Comerica Park. He went 5 2/3 hitless innings and struck out eight. He threw first-pitch strikes to 17 of the 18 hitters he faced and he dominated the Orioles heavy left-handed lineup primarily with sinkers and sweepers.

The movement on both pitches was electric. He got 12 called strikes with the sinker (20 called strikes total) and five whiffs on six swings with the sweeper. Besides the eight punch-outs, Hurter induced nine ground ball outs.

The Orioles only put one ball in the air against him.

Incredible performance.

Hanifee got through the eighth, striking out pinch-hitter Austin Slater and, in a nine-pitch fight, Colton Cowser.

The Tigers, meanwhile, managed one productive swing against Orioles’ right-handed starter Zach Eflin. Kerry Carpenter, the second batter in the first inning, launched a first-pitch curveball into the seats in right field.

His 15th home run left his bat with an exit velocity of 109.6 mph, the hardest hit ball in Carpenter’s career, and flew 414 feet.

Depending the outcome of the Twins game against the Reds, the Tigers (76-72) are three games back in the American League wild-card chase.