Orioles top minor league pitching prospect Chris Tillman pitched Norfolk's first nine-inning no-hitter in nearly 18 years Wednesday as part of the Tides' 6-0 win at Gwinnett, the Atlanta Braves' Triple-A affiliate.
Tillman, 22, allowed one walk and struck out six, throwing 105 pitches. He retired Matt Young on a groundout to Robert Andino to secure the no-hitter.
Tillman's only blemish was a walk to Gwinnett designated hitter Brent Clevlen in the fifth inning. He then induced left fielder Mitch Jones to ground into a double play. One other Gwinnett batter reached in the game — on a fielding error by Michael Aubrey in the fifth. Tillman was helped by a strong Tides defense.
The no-hitter was announced to the Camden Yards crowd during the Orioles' game against the New York Yankees.
It was the first nine-inning no-hitter thrown by the Tides since Dave Telgheder pitched one on May 19, 1992.
Tides outfielder Jeff Salazar had two hits and two RBIs to pace the offense.
Tillman is 2-3 with a 4.05 ERA this season for the Tides. He was sent to Norfolk in March after losing the Orioles' fifth-starter competition to David Hernandez.
Tillman made 12 major league starts for the Orioles in 2009, going 2-5 with a 5.40 ERA.
The Orioles acquired Tillman, a second-round pick by the Seattle Mariners in 2006, in the 2008 trade with the Mariners for Erik Bedard.