Athletics' Mike Fiers Tosses Second Career No-Hitter, First of MLB Season vs. Reds
OAKLAND, Calif. — Mike Fiers of the Oakland Athletics pitched his second career no-hitter, getting help from two spectacular defensive plays to shut down the Cincinnati Reds 2-0 Tuesday night.
Fiers followed up his 2015 gem for Houston against the Dodgers with a 131-pitch masterpiece to become the 35th pitcher with multiple no-hitters in his career. He walked two, struck out six and ended it by fanning Eugenio Suarez with a big curveball.
The A’s poured out of the dugout to mob Fiers in celebration after the final out in front of a few thousand fans remaining — the game started more than 1 ½ hours later because of a light malfunction at the Coliseum. Fiers tipped his hat to the crowd and raised his arms in triumph as he walked off.
“I’m glad they got the lights working,” Fiers said.
A journeyman for much of his career, the 33-year-old Fiers (3-3) raised his lifetime record to 57-58.
The first no-hitter of the 2019 season didn’t come without tense moments as Fiers was bailed out by back-to-back great defensive plays in the sixth inning. Second baseman Jurickson Profar made a diving catch on Kyle Farmer’s popup into short right field for the second out, prompting Fiers to throw up his arms in celebration.
Joey Votto followed that with a drive to center field, but Ramon Laureano leaped at the fence to pull the ball back and rob the Reds star of a home run.
This was the 13th no-hitter in the history of the Athletics franchise, which started in Philadelphia, moved to Kansas City and shifted to Oakland. Sean Manaea pitched the previous no-hitter for the A’s on April 21, 2018, at home against Boston.
The Reds were no-hit for the 10th time, most recently by Jake Arrieta of the Cubs in 2016.
Fiers issued his only two walks in the seventh, but also got Jesse Winker to hit into a double play. Fiers needed only nine pitches to get through the eighth and zipped through the ninth, retiring rookie Josh VanMeter on a popup, getting Votto on a routine grounder and striking out Suarez.
A’s catcher Josh Phegley neatly blocked the last pitch and tagged Suarez to make it official.
Fiers’ other no-hitter came on Aug. 21, 2015, in Houston. He threw a career-high pitches in that game.
The only other Reds batter to reach was Winker, who got aboard on an error by Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman in the fourth. Chapman was near second base on a defensive shift and the grounder hit off his glove and rolled away.
The game started after a 98-minute delay because of a lighting problem at the Coliseum. A bank of lights above the upper deck in left field had been only partially lit, causing the delay. Those lights began to flicker on as the game started.
Fiers, however, turned them out on the Reds.
It was the second straight day the Reds have had a game delayed at the start because of unusual circumstances. Their game against the San Francisco Giants on Monday in Cincinnati was briefly halted due to a swarm of bees.
The A’s scored in the second against Tyler Mahle (1-6) when Stephen Piscotty raced home on Profar’s double into the right-field corner. Profar added a solo homer in the seventh.
