The historic moment did not immediately hit Tom Wilhelmsen, who understandably was not aware he was the last of six Seattle Mariners pitchers who combined on a no-hitter in a 1-0 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 8, 2012.
Almost 14 years to the day that happened, Wilhelmsen’s surreal experience extended to the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, N.Y.
He and his family donated on Tuesday the glove he wore in the no-hitter against the Dodgers. He had a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn the save and complete the second six-pitcher no-hitter in major league history. In 2003, the Houston Astros accomplished the feat in a win over the New York Yankees.
Wilhelmsen, a 2002 graduate of Tucson High, did not realize the Mariners achieved a no-hitter until catcher Jesus Montero leaped into his arms and congratulated him after the last out.
“Well, I mean, I knew what was going on, but no, I have a brain fart every so often and just focused so hard on getting one thing done,” Wilhelmsen told reporters after the game. “It’s not like you forget, but it’s like you put it off to the side. And then it’s like, ‘Holy cow, we just did it,’ and Montero is in my arms. And then it’s, ‘Holy Cow, we just did it!’ ‘Holy, Cow, we just did it!’ Something like that.
“It’s there; it just takes a minute to get it, pick it out and place it in. … I was so just in tune to getting the out and getting the W that for a moment I forgot to relax and accept this no-hitter. Once (Montero) was up and excited, it turned my buttons a little bit.”
That night was Hollywood-esque.
The pitcher who started for the Mariners, Kevin Millwood, was a 37-year-old journeyman who watched the final three innings on TV in the clubhouse while undergoing treatment for a sore groin. The winning pitcher, Stephen Pryor, was a 22-year-old rookie who was just called up from Triple-A Tacoma.
And Wilhelmsen was a former bartender at The Hut on Fourth Avenue after an unsuccessful first attempt at a pro baseball career.
He signed with the Milwaukee Brewers, taking home a signing bonus of $250,000, after the Brewers drafted him in the seventh round following his last season with Tucson High. His dad, John, was the Badgers’ pitching coach, and he trained Tom throughout Tom’s development.
After playing for the Brewers’ rookie-league team in Phoenix and Single-A team in Beloit, Wis., in 2003, Tom was suspended in 2004 by the Brewers after testing positive twice for marijuana. He decided to retire from baseball before the 2005 season.
During his five-year hiatus from baseball from 2005 to 2009, Tom, a free spirit, worked as a bartender at The Hut.
While watching a baseball game on one of The Hut’s televisions, Tom noticed players he had success against in his brief stint in the Brewers’ farm system. He started pitching workouts with his father again and signed with the independent Tucson Toros in 2009.
A Mariners scout liked what he saw of Wilhelmsen’s 95-plus mph fastball, and he was signed to a minor-league contract prior to the 2010 season. After posting a 7-1 record with a 2.19 ERA in 15 games (including 12 starts) at three levels of the minors in 2010, the Mariners signed him on May 17, 2011, and assigned him to Double-A.
Tom’s go-to bus trip song?
A drinking version of Do-Re-Mi
And yes…he went all in and nailed it every single time!#TheLateInningsShow #MLB #Baseball #BaseballPodcast #RoadTripStories #Mariners #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/Z2E10xhgCR
— The Late Innings Show (@LateInningsShow) May 21, 2026
Following a series of trades created an opening on the Mariners’ 25-man roster, Tom was recalled from the minor leagues on Aug. 2, 2011. He won his first major league game two weeks later, pitching a perfect eighth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays.
His part of the no-hitter happened the following season.
He played five seasons for the Mainers before he was traded to the Texas Rangers following the 2015 season. The Rangers released him after 21 appearances in 2016, and the Mariners re-signed him. Seattle then released him following that season.
The Arizona Diamondbacks signed him during spring training in 2017, and he played in 27 games before being released.
His last attempt at the majors was in 2018, when the San Diego Padres signed him during spring training but released him before the season started.
He earned $7.68 million in his seven years with big-league teams, all after he was living off a low wage and tips at The Hut.
Tom resides in Tucson with his family and is a realtor in addition to being a podcast host of the show, The Late Innings, with fellow former MLB reliever Charlie Furbush.
His wife Cassie backpacked with him in Europe after he first retired from baseball in 2005. She was his girlfriend at the time. They have two kids — Hahna and Kai.
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