Seattle Orcas Stun MI New York with Last-Ball Hetmyer Six, Record MLC Chase

In a stunning display of power hitting, Shimron Hetmyer propelled the Seattle Orcas to a thrilling three-wicket victory over MI New York in a game that went down to the wire. Hetmyer's heroics secured the Orcas' first win of the 2025 Major League Cricket (MLC) season, completing the highest successful run chase in MLC history.

Image credit: MLC

The Orcas were set a daunting target of 238 after MI New York's explosive innings, led by Nicholas Pooran's unbeaten 108 off 60 balls and Tajinder Dhillon's rapid 95 off 35 deliveries. Pooran's innings included 7 fours and 8 sixes, while Dhillon provided valuable support, putting the Orcas under immense pressure.

Despite the onslaught, Gerald Coetzee and Kyle Mayers managed to grab two wickets each, briefly slowing down the scoring rate for the Orcas.

Seattle's chase began shakily, with Josh Brown and Shayan Jahangir falling early. However, Kyle Mayers (37 off 20) and captain Sikandar Raza (30 off 9) launched a counter-attack, injecting momentum into the innings. Heinrich Klaasen further contributed with a quickfire 26 off 13 balls before being dismissed by Rushil Ugarkar.

This set the stage for Hetmyer's magnificent performance. With the required run rate escalating, he took charge, smashing an unbeaten 97 off just 40 balls. His innings included 5 fours and 9 towering sixes, achieving a remarkable strike rate of 242.50.

The tension reached its peak on the final ball, with five runs needed for victory. Hetmyer faced MI New York's captain, Kieron Pollard. He executed a brilliant flick-whip over fine leg, sending the ball soaring for a six that sparked jubilant celebrations in the Seattle camp.

"This one is one of the best, because our backs were against the wall and I'm still grimacing over the last game where we couldn't cross the line," said Hetmyer, who was named Player of the Match. "Today is one of those days, where I went with a clear mind and wanted to take the game as deep as possible. That (injury) actually gave me a little bit of help, because I didn't want to run much."