Catching Up With John Means
Through his first eight games this season, John Means is off to one of the best starts in Orioles’ history. Earlier this month, he threw the fourth individual no-hitter in franchise history and the first in more than 50 years, when he blanked the Mariners on May 5 at T-Mobile Park.
Means’ 1.21 ERA through his first eight starts is the second-lowest by an O’s starter during that span, trailing only Hoyt Wilhelm (0.91 ERA in 1959). After another scoreless start on Tuesday, Means, the reigning AL Player of the Week, ranks second among all Major League pitchers in WHIP (0.71), ERA (1.21), and inning pitched (52.0). His opponents’ average .152 is the sixth lowest.
Earlier this week, Means sat down with Geoff Arnold and Brett Hollander for the latest episode of “Inside the Yard” to discuss how it feels to join an elite group of O’s pitchers, how he is feeling moving forward, and what it was really like throwing a no-hitter.
“It hasn’t really sunk in,” said Means. “It’s really cool and I don’t want to water it down at all, it’s really cool. I just don’t think it’s fully sunk in how crazy this is.”
Means tells his no-hit secrets, like how he stayed loose in the dugout, what he said to Austin Hays, and what it’s like having Pedro Severino behind the plate.
“I know a lot of people try to stay away from people and don’t want to talk [during a no-hitter], but I was trying to find everybody I could to talk to and just try and stay loose and not think about what was actually going on,” said Means. “But that ninth inning I did get some jello legs when I was out there during warm ups and I started to kind of lose feeling there, but after the first pitch I felt pretty good and got locked back in.”
He also discusses how he’s seen himself improve over the past two years, what’s has been like having to mature so quickly on a young staff, and how the southpaw’s expanded pitching arsenal has helped in on the mound.
In addition, the trio discusses the prospects Means has been excited to see. “I watched DL Hall at the alternate site last year when I was rehabbing,” said Means. “He came in after me one outing. I was throwing 91 to 96 [mph] and I felt pretty good about myself, and then he comes in sitting 98 miles per hour from left side and touching 100 and I was sitting there like, ‘Oh. Ok. This kid has got some legit stuff.’ When I saw DL pitch I was like, ‘Ok. This kid’s got a big league arm.’”
You’ll also hear about high school John Means, and former teammate and current Kansas City Royal Bubba Starling. They end the conversation with their “fun five” -- what Means is currently watching, who his road alias would be, what his pre and postgame meals look like, what his first grade teacher would say about him, and what he would be doing if he weren’t playing baseball right now.
“I haven’t looked at my Linkedin in a while,” said Means. “I just saw an article about it and there were a bunch of people who wanted to connect with me. I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll have to get on there.’”
You can listen to the podcast here or wherever you stream podcasts.