Mike Fiers had not been having a vintage season and wasn’t even originally supposed to start in this one. However, despite a delayed start to the game, which must have been distracting, he somehow rediscovered his fastball and accuracy to pitch both Oakland’s and the MLB’s first no-hitter of the season in a 2-0 win over Cincinnati. This was the 300th no-hitter in major-league history.
Mike Fiers tosses the first no-hitter of 2019 and now has TWO career no-no’s pic.twitter.com/jAXrwA2Y50
— Starting 9 (@Starting9) May 8, 2019
Fiers who has one previous no-hitter to his name entered the game with a far from impressive 6.81 ERA, but 131 pitches later the Oakland Coliseum was rocking and the Athletics dismal previous road trip was all but forgotten. Pitching-wise this was the most he has thrown in a game since his Astros days when he ironically threw 134 in his first no-hitter against the Dodgers on Aug. 21, 2015. and this outing was more efficient than spectacular with his fastball topping out at around 90mph. He only had 6 strikeouts but did save one for the last man Eugenio Suarez who swung out on a 75-mph curveball.
So Mike Fiers has joined an elite group of 35 players who have had more than one no-hitter, and the As will hope that this is the start of a better run as that disastrous road game run has seen them drop to the foot of the AL West 5.5 games back on leaders Houston.
Image Credit Eric Broder Van Dyke / Shutterstock.com
