Rocket City trio combines on franchise's first no-no
You never forget your first, and for Chase Silseth, Luke Murphy, Eric Torres and Double-A Rocket City, this feeling will certainly last a lifetime.
You never forget your first, and for Chase Silseth, Luke Murphy, Eric Torres and Double-A Rocket City, this feeling will certainly last a lifetime.
The trio of Angels prospects combined to twirl the first no-hitter in the club's young history as the Trash Pandas blanked Biloxi, 8-0, at Toyota Field on Saturday night.
"It's always awesome to be a part of something like that, but kudos to Luke and Eric for finishing it off," Silseth said. "But really it was never in doubt. Just with our whole team, there was never a doubt. It's special to be a part of this night and this whole team in general."
𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐂 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓.
— Rocket City Trash Pandas (@trashpandas) September 4, 2022
A combined no-hitter from @Chase_Silseth, @LukeMurphy27_, and @torreseric_, with @z_humphreys10 behind the plate. pic.twitter.com/KHuvTwxXUJ
Even before accomplishing this feat, familiarity and camaraderie may have already been established between these three hurlers as they were all selected in the 2021 Draft by the Angels. Silseth, the organization's seventh-ranked prospect, was taken in the 11th round. Murphy, the No. 27 prospect, was a fourth-round pick and Torres, ranked No. 28, was selected in the 14th round by Los Angeles.
"I think that accomplishing something like this is obviously meaningful, but I think the most impactful thing for everyone involved was that they were able to do it together," Trash Pandas skipper Andy Schatzley said. "If you ask them about the morale or group dynamic of the locker room, it's not the history component that's going to be the focus of this, but that they accomplished something that's incredibly difficult together. And that continues to validate the process that you have in place and the relationships that you have in place and really keeps you more committed to them."
Coming off of arguably the best start of his career, Silseth immediately displayed that he was picking up right where he left off. The right-hander struck out the first five batters he faced en route to taking a perfect game into the seventh inning.
"From that first inning, when I first stepped on that mound, I knew I had something going," Silseth said. "But I just went pitch-by-pitch, inning-by-inning, it's something that I'm learning now. In the past, I always let emotion or a bad pitch or at-bat stick with me, but now I'm just going out there knowing I have the stuff and I'm capable of accomplishing something like this."
After whiffing the first two batters of the seventh, the first baserunner for the Shuckers reached after a catcher's interference call on an 0-1 pitch. The blemish appeared to rattle the 22-year-old briefly as the next offering was a wild pitch that allowed Garrett Whitley to move into scoring position, before the following batter reached base on a seven-pitch walk. But that would be the extent of the damage as Silseth locked back in to coax Wes Clarke into a forceout at third to end the frame.
"I think it was because I was in the windup all game -- and you get in a groove from the windup -- and then you're pitching out of the stretch and that just felt foreign," Silseth said.
Still, no harm, no foul as the Arizona product exited after yielding just one walk and whiffing 10 over seven frames. This comes five days after Silseth allowed two runs on a pair of hits and one walk while fanning a career-high 11 over six frames.
"I definitely found a groove last week with fastball location and optimal slider locations, and I think I just brought it into this week," Silseth said. "I think when you're on a roll, you just want to keep it going."
Murphy kept it going in the eighth. The right-hander worked around a pair of walks and struck out Corey Ray with two on and two out to escape the frame unscathed.
It was more of the same in the ninth, as Torres issued a walk to open the inning before punching out consecutive batters. Another two-out walk to Clarke would put another Biloxi player in scoring position for the third straight inning, but the 22-year-old whiffed Zavier Warren to end the game and complete the milestone.
"Normally after I exit, I go inside to do a mini-workout with the strength coach to start my recovery, but this time I asked if I could stay in the dugout to watch the guys finish this off," Silseth said. "The strength coach said, 'Heck yeah,' and we got a front row seat to witness history."
Rob Terranova is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobTnova24.
8 of the best team matchups in Spring Breakout
After Spring Breakout's dynamic debut last year, the prospect showcase event returns in full force for 2025. All 30 Major League teams will field squads of top prospects to face off in 16 games from March 13-16 -- the Cubs and Nationals will play twice since there's an odd number
Fowler: A 19th-century baseball pioneer
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2006. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers.
Everything you need to know about prospects and Spring Training
This story was excerpted from MLB Pipeline's newsletter. Subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Arkansas-based Mariners affiliate to honor legacy of the Little Rock Nine
The Little Rock Nine sounds like it could be the name of a baseball team playing in Arkansas' capital city, and for three nights during the 2025 season, it will be. The story behind the name transcends baseball, however. From Aug. 21-23, the Arkansas Travelers -- Seattle's Double-A affiliate --
MiLB podcast breaks down Spring Training storylines
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Leaf Peepers? Thunder Chickens?! Coming to the Minors this year
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Dodgers greats Newcombe and Campanella made history as Minors teammates
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2006. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers.
15 prospects primed for a bounceback season from injury
A lot of players will be getting a fresh start heading into the 2025 season. Prospects who missed significant time due to injury have had upwards of six months between regular-season games to return to health. Now they'll be looking to re-establish their value and maybe even reach new heights.
Check out the newest Minor League team logos for 2025
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Here are 18 prospects who also starred on the gridiron
The two-time defending-champion Kansas City Chiefs are set to meet the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, and plenty of baseball prospects will be keeping a close eye. After all, many current Minor Leaguers played football at a high level before committing fully to the diamond. No, there aren't any
Did you know the Superdome was once home to a Minor League team?
On Sunday, one of the world’s most-watched sporting events will take place at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Believe it or not, decades before Super Bowl LIX came to town, the same building was home to a Minor League Baseball team for one season. The 1977 Triple-A New Orleans Pelicans
How a Black pitcher's brief PCL stint in 1916 generated a historic card
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2010. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers.
The Show Before the Show: Episode 489
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minors legend Jones still holds batting record
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2008. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers. Grover "Deacon" Jones spent more than a half-century in baseball, serving the game at almost every level and in
Hooks have a new look -- and more -- on the line for 20th season
In advance of a milestone season at Whataburger Field, the Corpus Christi Hooks are making a change. The Houston Astros' Double-A affiliate unveiled new logos and uniforms on Friday evening, marking the first time they have significantly altered their look since debuting in 2005. According to Hooks general manager Brady
Here's how Jackie Robinson fueled Montreal to a Minor League title in 1946
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2006. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers.
They're due! MiLB's longest active title droughts
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
These players could earn teams extra Draft picks in 2025
Since the Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI) was implemented under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, four players have earned their clubs extra Draft picks. The PPI rewards teams for promoting their best prospects to the big leagues at the start of the season, enabling them to earn a Draft pick if
Each team's best non-Top 100 prospect
There just isn't enough room to fit all the worthy talents on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list. We unveiled our latest rankings last Friday, and now we're going to spotlight the best prospect in each farm system who couldn't quite make the cut. We undertook the same exercise last
MiLB collaborates with Stand Up To Cancer
Minor League Baseball announced a new collaboration with Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C), an organization that funds the development of new and promising cancer treatments to help patients today. Founded in 2008, SU2C raises awareness and funds research to detect and treat cancers with the aspiration to cure all patients.
These are the best tools on the new Top 100 Prospects list
Players featured on last year’s edition of the best tools among Top 100 prospects should look familiar to even casual baseball fans at this point. Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes (best fastball, slider) took the Major Leagues by storm as the NL Rookie of the Year, thanks to his hard-throwing ways
Answering your Top 100 Prospects list questions
MLB Pipeline released its new Top 100 Prospects list on Friday, and it was met with a bevy of questions and comments about fans' favorite prospects. To help make sense of all the inquiries, Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo took to Reddit and responded to fan questions in a Top 100 Prospect-focused
Here are every organization's Top 100 prospects for 2025
MLB Pipeline’s 2025 Top 100 Prospects list went live on Friday night, led by the newest Dodger, right-hander Roki Sasaki, Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony and Twins outfielder Walker Jenkins. There’s a lot of offensive firepower throughout the list, beyond those two outfielders at the top, but while the bats
Check out MLB Pipeline's 2025 Top 100 Prospects list
He was one of the most sought-after talents this offseason, and he hadn’t even played stateside ball yet. Now, he can add another bullet point to his already lengthy baseball resume. Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki tops MLB Pipeline’s 2025 preseason ranking of the Top 100 prospects, followed by Red Sox
The Show Before the Show: Episode 488
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other