The Parker Messick conversation just reached a completely different level.
After carrying a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles and delivering one of the most dominant pitching performances Progressive Field has seen in years, a stat emerged that has placed Messick’s early career numbers alongside some of the most celebrated pitching debuts in the history of the sport.
Luke Potosky put it all in perspective in a recent post.
“Through 11 career games, Parker Messick has 6 wins, 63 strikeouts and a 2.07 ERA. The only pitchers in MLB history with better numbers through their first 11 career games: Paul Skenes, 6 W, 89 SO, 1.90 ERA. Masahiro Tanaka, 8 W, 88 SO, 2.06 ERA. Cy Blanton, 7 W, 64 SO, 1.21 ERA,” Potosky posted on X.
Through 11 career games, Parker Messick has 6 wins, 63 strikeouts & a 2.07 ERA.
The only pitchers in MLB history with better numbers thru their first 11 career G:
• Paul Skenes: 6 W, 89 SO, 1.90 ERA
• Masahiro Tanaka: 8 W, 88 SO, 2.06 ERA
• Cy Blanton: 7 W, 64 SO, 1.21 ERA pic.twitter.com/QidcjzFoD9— Luke Potosky (@LukePotosky) April 17, 2026
Paul Skenes. Masahiro Tanaka. Cy Blanton.
Skenes is the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner who took the league by storm in his first season. Tanaka arrived from Japan in 2014 and immediately became one of the most dominant starters in the American League. Blanton was a standout pitcher in the 1930s whose career numbers have stood the test of time for nearly a century.
Parker Messick is the fourth name on that list.
Through four starts and 25.2 innings in 2026, Messick sits at 3-0 with a 1.05 ERA, 25 strikeouts, and a 0.779 WHIP. Through 11 big league starts, he is now 6-1 with a 2.07 ERA, 63 strikeouts, and a 1.102 WHIP.
Thursday night’s near no-hitter against Baltimore was the latest and most spectacular chapter in a story that has been building since Messick first took the mound for Cleveland last August.
Cleveland fans have been watching something special unfold at Progressive Field this season. The stat that emerged afterward confirmed what the eye test has been screaming for weeks.
Parker Messick is not just one of the best young pitchers in Cleveland history.
He is one of the best young pitchers in the history of the game.
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