May 8

James Paxton of the Mariners becomes only the second-ever Canadian-born pitcher to throw a no-hitter, after Dick Fowler in 1945, turning the trick against the Blue Jays in a 5 – 0 win. The three no-hitters pitched so far this season have been accomplished in three different countries: the United States, Mexico and Canada, and no Canadian pitcher had ever pitched one on Canadian soil before Paxton. In what is overall an awful day for the Blue Jays, closer Roberto Osuna is arrested in the early hours of the morning on charges of assault against a woman and is immediately placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball.

At the other end of the pitching spectrum, Dylan Bundy of the Orioles has just about as poor a start as can be, as he gives up four homers, two walks and a single while retiring nobody. All seven Royals baserunners come to score on their way to putting up 10 1st-inning runs. Bundy is the first pitcher ever to give up four homers without recording an out, as Jorge Soler, Mike Moustakas, Salvador Perez and Alex Gordon all take him deep before he is mercifully removed from the game. Kansas City wins handily, 15 – 7.

The Cubs decide they are not going to let Bryce Harper beat them and their pitchers walk him a record-tying six times, with his other at-bat resulting in a hit-by-pitch as he does not take even one swing of the bat in the Nationals’ 13-inning, 4 – 3 loss in Wrigley Field on a walk-off homer by Javier Baez. The strategy works all series, as Harper draws 13 walks, but Chicago sweeps all three games to improve to 24-6 after 30 games.

Cole Hamels and the Philles win 3 – 1 over the Mets and Matt Harvey. Jonathan Papelbon picks up the save, his 112th as a member of the Phils, to tie Jose Mesa atop the team’s leader board; he is also the Boston Red Sox all-time save leader, with 219. Only Robb Nen had previously led two separate teams in saves before him.

In the 6th inning of today’s game between the Orioles and Rays, Brad Boxberger is called in relief of David Price with nobody out and the bases full of baserunners. Nine pitches later, Boxberger has struck out the side, in what is an unprecedented feat, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Orioles are still winners, 3 – 1.

The Blue Jays hit five homers in defeating the Phillies, 12 – 6, completing a three-game sweep. Edwin Encarnacion hits two of the long balls, including the 200th of his career, with Juan Francisco, Colby Rasmus and Adam Lind also connecting in support of starter R.A. Dickey.

The injury-riddled Yankees struggle to put together a line-up, today batting pitcher David Phelps 8th and playing OF Vernon Wells at third base for an inning in his first career appearance at the position, but they manage to keep on winning. Wells hits a two-run homer in the 1st, then in the 9th manager Joe Girardi uses a pinch-hitter for 3B Chris Nelson in scoring the deciding run in a 3 – 2 win over the Rockies. Out of back-up infielders, he puts Wells at the hot corner for the bottom of the 9th. Wells successfully fields a ground ball as Mariano Rivera records his 12th save of the year – and the first of his career at Coors Field.

Adam Rosales apparently hits a game-tying homer for the A’s in the 9th inning of a game against Cleveland, but the umpires rule it a double, and stick to their guns even after a video review. A’s manager Bob Melvin gets tossed for arguing the call, but the A’s lose, 4 – 3, as Rosales is stranded at second base. In a rare admission of an error, MLB Vice-President Joe Torre will state the next day that the umpires made an error in not granting Rosales a home run, but that the call would still stand.

Josh Hamilton becomes the 16th major leaguer to hit four home runs in one game when he blasts an 0-2 pitch over the Camden Yards centerfield fence in the eighth inning of the Rangers’ 10-3 victory over Baltimore. The Texas outfielder, who connected each time with a man on base, also hits a double to set the American League’s single-game record for total bases with 18, one shy of Shawn Green’s major league mark of 19 established in 2002 with the Dodgers.