It's full seam ahead for Matt Wilkinson.
The 6-foot-1, 250-pound southpaw nicknamed "Tugboat" was perfect over five innings in his third start of the season at Double-A. The Guardians prospect captained the first Minor League no-hitter of the year in Akron's 4-0 victory over Binghamton on Sunday at 7 17 Credit Union Park.
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Across Wilkinson's five perfect frames, the lefty matched a season-high six strikeouts, collecting at least one in every inning. The 23-year-old caught MLB's No. 87 prospect A.J. Ewing (NYM No. 3) swinging for one of his two punchouts in the fourth, and also bested Jacob Reimer (No. 5), Eli Serrano III (No. 13) and Marco Vargas (No. 20) via the strikeout.
Wilkinson, who pitched for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic, touts a secret weapon in his arsenal: "The Invisi-ball." The Vancouver native's run on his fastball is abnormal, playing into his favor into the professional ranks.
"Basically, it's low release with really good extension," Wilkinson told MLB.com in March. "I hear a lot of, 'I don't know how 90, 91 [mph] gets up on them so fast.' It's a good feeling to hear that."
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Sunday's start marked the first perfect appearance of Wilkinson's professional career. He previously delivered two hitless outings, most recently on April 25, 2024 for Single-A Lynchburg, when 15 strikeouts across six innings thrusted him into the Minor League spotlight.
"It's what I try to do every time," Wilkinson said nearly two years ago. "You just have to try not to make that moment too big for yourself and just do whatever you can to help the team win."
Through a combined 13 1/3 innings this season, the 2023 10th-rounder sports a 1.35 ERA, allowing just two runs across his first pair of starts. In his first stint at Double-A, the Central Arizona JC product has struck out 17 batters while allowing nine hits -- four for extra bases -- and only three walks.