Last night, Oakland A’s starter Mike Fiers threw the SECOND no-hitter of his career, with 131 pitches and just two walks against the Cincinnati Reds.
That’s awesome and extremely impressive, so before we get to any of the wild stuff, let’s check out the final pitch:
https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1126009641605971970
Great moment. Great night. Well done, Fiers.
But every baseball fan knows that a no-hitter is not accomplished alone. The defense usually has to come up with at least one or two miraculous plays to keep the thing alive and last night, they came back-to-back:
https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1125995245085319168
First, Jurickson Profar had to range way out into shallow right-field, tracking the ball over his shoulder, before making a beautiful diving and sliding catch. That ball wasn’t crushed or anything, but it was put in such a uniquely tough spot that you could easily see it spoiling the no-no without some extra effort.
But the very next play, Joey Votto hit what should have been a game-tying home run, ruining the no-no and shutout, but Ramon Lareano made a fantastically timed leap at the wall, robbing him of both. Awesome. Game over. No-hitter secured.
NOTE: Mike Fiers is now the 35th pitcher to throw two no-hitters in his career.
Watch all the highlights from the game right here: