Paxton’s former B.C. coach calls Canadian’s no-hitter ‘special’

CAPTION: (May 9, 2018) 1. SOUNDBITE: Ari Mellios, former James Paxton coach PLACELINE: Ladner, B.C.; Delta, B.C. CREDIT: The Canadian Press STORYLINE: It took just a few hours for the British Columbia hometown of James Paxton to honour his no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays. By Wednesday morning, the Welcome to Ladner sign was decorated with homemade notices reading ``Congrats James'' and ``Big Maple with a no-hitter.'' The heron on the same sign had a Canadian flag taped to its beak and was wearing a cutout of Paxton's Seattle Mariners jersey. The left-hander pitched a no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays Tuesday night, becoming only the second ever Canadian to reach the achievement. The feat is no surprise for coaches in Delta, where he played baseball growing up. They say even when he 15, Paxton was throwing ``ridiculous'' curveballs at 90 miles an hour and had a work ethic to take him to the top. Ari Mellios coached Paxton from 2004 to 2006 with the North Delta Blue Jays.