Tuesday night at the Oakland Coliseum, Athletics right-hander Mike Fiers threw the first no-hitter of the 2019 season and also the second no-hitter of his career. Fiers no-hit the Reds on Tuesday and needed 131 pitches to do it (OAK 2, CIN 0). Reliever Lou Trivino warmed up at various points but was not used in the game. Cincinnati's only baserunners came on a Matt Chapman error and walks by Eugenio Suarez and Yasiel Puig. Fiers struck out Suarez for the final out. As is often the case, Tuesday's game included a tremendous no-hitter saving defensive play. Two of them, in fact. On back-to-back plays, no less. In the sixth inning Jurickson Profar took a bloop hit away from Kyle Farmer with a diving catch, then Ramon Laureano robbed Joey Votto of a solo home run in center field. Check it out: As noted, this is the second no-hitter of Fiers' career. While with the Astros back in August 2015, he no-hit the Dodgers at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Fiers threw 134 pitches in that game. He is the 35th pitcher in baseball history to throw multiple no-hitters. Fiers, 33, went into Tuesday's start with a 6.81 ERA in eight starts and 37 innings on the season. Opponents were hitting .297/.354/.500 against him. It's not the unlikeliest no-hitter -- Fiers did throw one previously, after all -- but Fiers probably wasn't atop anyone's no-hitter candidates list. The unexpected is what makes baseball fun. The start of Tuesday's game was delayed 98 minutes because of a light malfunction at the ballpark. A bank of lights in left field did not illuminate, and, after waiting more than an hour, the two teams agreed to play through it. The lights started to work once the game got underway, and the game was played without further delay. It has not been long since the last A's no-hitter. Sean Manaea, who is currently on the injured list rehabbing from shoulder surgery, no-hit the eventual World Series champion Red Sox last April. This is the 13th no-hitter in A's history and the eighth since the franchise moved to Oakland. The Reds were last no-hit by then-Cubs righty Jake Arrieta in 2016. The no-hitter is the first in baseball this season and the first since then-Mariners lefty James Paxton no-hit the Blue Jays last May. There were three no-hitters last season: Manaea, Paxton, and a combined no-hitter by the Dodgers.<doc-sep>Ben Margot/Associated Press Tuesday's game between the Oakland Athletics and Cincinnati Reds was delayed because of a lighting malfunction at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. It was worth the wait. Oakland's Mike Fiers threw the first no-hitter of the 2019 Major League Baseball season, propelling his team to a 2-0 victory in the interleague showdown. He wasn't exactly a leading candidate to throw a no-no this year considering he entered the game with a 6.81 ERA and 1.49 WHIP in his first eight starts, but he had no trouble with the Cincinnati lineup. The Reds even did what they could on social media, but it was to no avail: Fiers had just six strikeouts, but he saved his most memorable one for last and retired Eugenio Suarez swinging to end the game. The right-hander was running on fumes at that point and finished with 131 pitches, but he is familiar with the perseverance it takes to finish the job. Tuesday's performance was the second no-hitter of his career, as he pitched one during the 2015 campaign as a member of the Houston Astros. Video Play Button Videos you might like His no-hitter came against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and repeating the feat put him in elite company: Seemingly every no-hitter has a moment of defensive brilliance that preserves the accomplishment, and Tuesday's came in the sixth inning when Joey Votto drilled what appeared to be a game-tying solo home run. However, Oakland center fielder Ramon Laureano had different ideas and robbed him of the long ball in dramatic fashion: Laureano provided the defense, and Jurickson Profar, who also made a diving catch in the sixth, provided the offense. The second baseman drove in both of Oakland's runs with a solo homer in the seventh and an RBI double in the second. The night belonged to Fiers, though, and he gave the last-place Athletics a memorable moment.<doc-sep>It was one of Bob Melvin’s favorite nights as manager of the A’s, but also one of the most stressful. Once Fiers hit 120 pitches in the seventh inning, Melvin mulled whether or not he would keep Fiers out there, especially with a one-run lead. Melvin even broke an unwritten rule by mentioning the no-hitter to the right-hander, letting him know he was going to pull him if he allowed another base runner after he had walked two batters in the seventh.<doc-sep>OAKLAND — It was nearly midnight and Oakland Athletics pitcher Mike Fiers sat behind the dais, trying to somehow explain what happened Tuesday night. He found himself struggling with his emotions. This made no sense. No darn sense at all. The game was 15 minutes from not even being played because of a malfunctioning light bank in left field. Fiers wasn’t even originally supposed to pitch, but the A's shuffled the rotation on their off-day. Fiers entered with a 6.81 ERA, but here he was trying to explain how he just threw a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds in Oakland’s 2-0 victory at the Oakland Coliseum, the first of the major-league season, and the 300th in major-league history. “A lot of things just happened," Fiers said. “It’s just weird. You can’t really write these things up. Baseball is definitely a weird game. “I don’t know, I’m a little kooky playing it." Athletics catcher Josh Phegley said he knew it was going to be a bizarre day the moment he walked into the clubhouse. “I saw Mario and Luigi when I walked in," he said. “I saw the light tower not working. Mike throws a no-hitter. And I got covered with steak seasoning." Yep, a weird day starting with Athletics slugger Khris Davis buying all of his teammates Nintendo Switches in celebration of his recent two-year, $33.75 million contract. He brought in a couple of guys dressed as Mario and Luigi to hand them out before the A’s got ready for the game, only to wonder if there would be one. The left-field bank of lights were mostly out. Each team's manager and general manager met at home plate with the umpire crew, with Major League Baseball officials on stand-by, debating whether the game should be played. “We wanted to make sure the other team would be ok with it," Athletics manager Bob Melvin said. “Major League Baseball didn’t want to start after 9 p.m." The game started 1 hour, 38 minutes late at 8:45 p.m., and 2 hours and 25 minutes later, Fiers was being mobbed on the field after striking out Eugenio Suarez on a 75-mph curveball. He became the 35th pitcher in baseball history, and only the fifth active pitcher, to throw multiple no-hitters, with his first in 2015 pitching for the Houston Astros against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He’s also only the eighth in history to throw a no-hitter with multiple teams, joining Hall of Famers Nolan Ryan, Cy Young, Randy Johnson and Jim Bunning. Hideo Nomo, Adonis Terry and Ted Breitenstein have also done it. "It’s pretty cool," said Fiers, who has a career 57-58 record and 4.11 ERA, pitching for his fourth team in five years. “I saw a little bit of the list. I’m just grateful to be here and get the opportunity to play. “I remember when I was drafted, I wasn’t too high on the charts. I was a guy throwing 88 to 90 (mph), down in South Florida. I’m one in a million down there. “You almost get emotional, man. I could be working 9-to-5. I could be doing so many other things. And just playing this game I love. “I’m just blessed.’’ Fiers had third-highest ERA among American League pitchers entering the game, with an 0-2 record and 9.41 ERA and .358 batting average against in his last five starts. But on this cool evening, he looked like Greg Maddux. He was carving up the Reds, mixing in his 88-90-mph fastball with pinpoint control, to go along with his changeup, slider and curveball. He struck out six batters and walked two in his 131-pitch gem. Really, it was his pitch count that looked like it may be his biggest obstacle. He had 109 pitches after the seventh inning, and Melvin told Fiers that if he permitted anyone reached base, he was coming out of the game. Melvin had the bullpen warming up the entire time in the final two innings. “I broke every rule in the book," Melvin said. “It was no fun for me once he got past 120 pitches, I promise you that, but he deserved it." The biggest break for Fiers, Melvin said, was when second baseman Jurickson Profar hit a two-out homer in the bottom of the seventh. “I knew I had to be aggressive," Fiers said, “keep them off-balance. You’ve got to be aggressive there." Perhaps the most nerve-wracking moment came with one out in the ninth when Joey Votto worked the count to 3 balls and 1 strike. Fiers came back with a changeup, and Votto grounded to first base. “That’s the first time I realized he had a no-hitter," Athletics center fielder Ramon Laureano said. “Really, I didn’t know." Well, if not for Laureano’s brilliant catch in the sixth inning that robbed Votto of a home run, Fiers would have been only a footnote. Votto hit a towering fly ball to center field in the sixth inning when Laureano raced back to the fence, leaped, and snared the ball just as it appeared it might clear the fence. “I don’t give credit to myself," said Laureano, who spoke at length before the game with Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson on playing defense. “He was the story." There was also Profar’s play with one out in the sixth inning on Kyle Farmer’s shallow fly ball in right field, only for Profar to make a diving catch. “Those usually fall in," Farmer said, “but I think the stars aligned tonight. Once we saw those two plays happening, we said this might be his night." Fiers also benefited from a close scoring call in the fourth inning when Jesse Winker hit a ball up that middle that bounced off A's third baseman Matt Chapman’s glove. No announcement was made for nearly 20 seconds before it was ruled an error. “It was way more nerve-wracking then when I was doing it," said Sean Manea, who had thrown the A's last no-hitter in 2018 and doused Fiers with Gatorade. “I was shaking on the bench. I don’t know, it was crazy seeing him do it.’’<doc-sep>
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 { 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.