British Columbia native James Paxton of the Seattle Mariners tossed a no-hitter last night in his home country of Canada at Toronto’s Rogers Centre.

The former Kelowna Falcons ace was masterful, striking out 7 while walking three in the Mariners 5-0 victory over the Blue Jays.

The flame-throwing lefty struck out 16 over 7 innings in his outing prior to last night’s no-hitter. He’s 2-1 on the season with a 3.41 ERA and 67 strikeouts over 47.2 innings and 8 starts.

James pitched for Kelowna in 2007. He made 11 starts for the Falcons that summer and posted a 2.94 ERA. He tossed two complete games, held opposing hitters to a .219 average and struck out 62 batters.

Paxton is the first Canadian ever to throw a no-hitter in Canada and the first WCL alum to toss a no-hitter in the big leagues.

ABOUT THE WEST COAST LEAGUE

The West Coast League (WCL) is the premier summer collegiate baseball league west of the Mississippi. The 14-year-old, 11-team, professionally operated wood-bat league located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest showcases pro prospects from major conferences across the nation June through August. Out west, the league features an unparalleled history of memorable fan and player experiences and the best summer weather in North America. 83 players with WCL experience were selected in the MLB 2017 June draft. 271 WCL alums appeared or were active in affiliated professional baseball in 2017 including 31 in the major leagues, such as 2015 home-run leader Chris Davis (Baltimore); record-breaking rookie slugger Rhys Hoskins (Philadelphia); rising star pitchers James Paxton (Seattle) and Matt Boyd (Detroit); and outfielder Mitch Haniger (Seattle). Overall member attendance was 412,392 this past summer, an increase of 8.6% in total attendance.