Family Matters
John Means’ brother watching him throw a no hitter in the locker room an hour before his own game is what baseball is all about
On Wednesday, John Means became just the 10th Baltimore Oriole to throw a no hitter. If you know anything about the Baltimore Orioles and no hitters, you know this is a big deal.
Means was spectacular, retiring the minimum 27 batters while leading the Orioles to a 6-0 win over the Mariners. He missed a perfect game only because of a dropped third strike (ruled a wild pitch) in the third inning, making him the first pitcher in MLB history to throw a non-perfect no-hitter without a walk, hit-by-pitch or error. Means had never pitched a complete game or recorded an out past the seventh inning in his major-league career. On Wednesday he had nine. From stem to stern, it was a historic afternoon for Means and the Orioles.
But we’re not actually here to talk about John Means. We’re here to talk about Jacob Means, Columbia Fireflies (low-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals) third baseman, who was glued to the locker-room TV watching his brother pitch one of the great games in baseball history an hour before the Fireflies' season opener on Wednesday. Check it out.
If you’re an only child or just stepped off the spaceship, this is what it’s all about—both baseball and brotherhood. In fact, just watching the whole locker room go nuts for a teammate’s brother is enough to give you the goosebumps, especially when you realize the Means lost their father to pancreatic cancer last year. Forget goosebumps, cue the waterworks.
But let’s not dwell. This was an awesome moment between two brothers, and we should let it stay that way. Just don’t let little bro get his hands on this photo, John. You’ll never hear the end of it.