Right-hander Mike Fiers threw the 300th no-hitter in Major League Baseball history on Tuesday night as the Oakland Athletics defeated the Cincinnati Reds. He struck out six and walked two on 131 pitches.
The 33-year-old completed the historic night by striking out Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez on five pitches.
"It was amazing. Things like this just happen," Fiers said postgame, according to Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. "You go out there wanting to go deep in the game and get the defense off the field as quick as possible. Some great plays by (Jurickson) Profar and (Ramon) Laureano, and (catcher Josh) Phegley putting down the right signs."
Tuesday's contest almost didn't have a happy ending for the veteran hurler, as second baseman Profar and outfielder Laureano both had to make incredible defensive plays in the sixth inning to keep the no-no intact.
Fiers entered the game 2-3 with a 6.81 ERA over his first eight starts. The stellar outing dropped his season ERA to 5.48.
It was Fiers' second career no-hitter after he accomplished the feat against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015 as a member of the Houston Astros, another marathon effort that required 134 pitches. He's now the eighth pitcher to throw no-hitters with multiple teams.
The night marked the 13th no-hitter by an Athletics pitcher since 1901, and the first since Sean Manaea did the deed last against the Boston Red Sox last April. Fiers also gave MLB its first no-hitter of the season, with the last one coming May 8, 2018, when James Paxton beat the Toronto Blue Jays.
Lighting issues at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum caused a lengthy delay before first pitch, but that didn't seem to impact Fiers as he soldiered through nine innings to make history.
