Canada native Paxton back in Toronto, site of no-hitter

New York Yankees left-hander James Paxton cannot expect to match the way he pitched the last time he started in Toronto when he faces the Blue Jays on Wednesday night.

Paxton, a native of Ladner, British Columbia, threw a no-hitter as a member of the Seattle Mariners on May 8, 2018.

"I did not feel great going into that game," he recalled some 13 months later.

However, he held the Blue Jays to only three walks while striking out seven in a 5-0 Mariners win.

During the offseason, Paxton was traded to the Yankees, and he will start the middle game of a three-game series against the Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays won the opener on Tuesday night 4-3 when Randal Grichuk and Freddy Galvis homered in a four-run fifth inning.

The result ended Toronto's six-game losing streak. It was the first meeting this season between the American League East teams. The Yankees have lost two in a row for the first time since April 30-May 1.

Paxton (3-2, 2.81 ERA) will face Blue Jays right-hander Trent Thornton (1-4, 4.53) on Wednesday.

Paxton will be making his ninth start of the season, going on six days' rest due to a postponement on Thursday and scheduled off day on Monday.

The 30-year-old last started on May 29 against the San Diego, tossing four hitless and scoreless innings (with two walks) after being reinstated from the injured list prior to the game. He missed 23 games due to left knee inflammation from May 4-28.

On April 16 against the Boston Red Sox and April 21 against the Kansas City Royals, he became just the second Yankees pitcher to record back-to-back games with at least 12 strikeouts, matching the feat of David Cone in 1998.

Paxton is the eighth Canadian pitcher to appear in a game for the Yankees, the first since left-hander Jeff Francis and right-hander Chris Leroux in 2014.

Paxton is 3-3 with a 3.54 ERA in six career starts against Toronto and is 3-1 with a 4.01 ERA in four starts at the Rogers Centre.

His no-hitter was a big moment in Canadian baseball history.

"To have it happen in Canada. What are the odds?" Paxton said at the time.

He was drafted by Toronto in 2009 but didn't sign until being selected by Seattle a year later.

"It's pretty amazing," he said. "Just very special. And against the Blue Jays? You couldn't write this stuff."

He became the second Canadian to pitch a major league no-hitter, joining Dick Fowler of the Philadelphia A's in 1945.

Paxton faced the Blue Jays once more in 2018, going seven innings in a loss at Seattle on Aug. 4, allowing eight hits and three runs in seven innings in a 5-1 loss.

Thornton, who broke into the majors this season, will be making his 13th start. He picked up his seventh no-decision May 29 when he allowed three runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Blue Jays lost 4-3.

Toronto's win on Tuesday postponed the implementation of a new approach in dealing with losses suggested by Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo.

"Whenever we lose another game, you can see, we can sit and think about what we just did in the game, the right things and the wrong things," Montoyo said. "And then let it go. You can turn the music on and here we go, just move on. That's how it should be."

Montoyo said he and his coaching staff formulated the plan after an 0-6 road trip to Tampa Bay and Colorado.

"Honestly, I don't like seeing a quiet clubhouse," Montoyo said.

--Field Level Media