Emerson Hancock may not have completed a no-hitter on Sunday, but his performance was nothing short of remarkable. In a dominant display against the Cleveland Guardians, Hancock led the Seattle Mariners to an 8-0 victory on Sunday Night Baseball. By the time he was replaced by Cooper Criswell, Hancock had delivered six innings of no-hit ball, allowing just one walk and one hit-by-pitch while racking up a career-high nine strikeouts.
When Criswell gave up a single to Chase DeLauter in the seventh, the no-hitter was over. But with Hancock having thrown 97 pitches, it was understandable that he wasn't pushed further. Still, he managed to etch his name into Mariners' history, joining Félix Hernández as the only Seattle pitchers to log six hitless innings with at least nine strikeouts in a game.
For Mariners fans, Hancock's journey has been a rollercoaster. Drafted sixth overall six years ago, he once ranked higher than Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, and Cal Raleigh among Seattle's prospects.
Yet, his 4.81 ERA in the majors has been a letdown. At 26, though, there's hope.
Hancock's velocity has increased by 1.5 mph since 2024, and a tweak in his arm angle has transformed his slider into a devastating sweeper with a 52.4% whiff rate in spring training.
Sunday night felt like a glimpse of Hancock's potential. He focused on his four-seamer, sitting in the mid-90s and generating nine whiffs on 37 swings. His sweeper was equally effective, getting whiffs on three of seven swings.
Despite his pedigree, Hancock wasn't the Mariners' first choice to start, filling in for the injured Bryce Miller. With Miller expected back soon, Hancock could be sent to the minors. But his performance has given the Mariners an enviable dilemma: having too many talented pitchers and not enough rotation spots.