Man on fire: Mike Fiers throws first career no-hitter against Dodgers
Until Friday night, Houston Astros right-hander Mike Fiers was the other guy included in the Carlos Gomez trade. Now he’s the talk of the town after throwing his first career no-hitter in Houston’s 3-0 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Of course, that isn’t to say Fiers was completely overlooked in the deal. For Houston, he was a valuable addition to their up-and-coming rotation. At age 30, Fiers is just seemingly finding his footing and gives the appearance of being a difference maker for Houston down the stretch. He showed off that ability by dominating the Dodgers to complete the fifth no-hitter in MLB this season.
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Fiers was effectively wild early, allowing three walks in the first three innings. From that point on, he was lights out, reitiring each of the last 18 batters he faced. He ended up facing three batters over the minimum, while throwing a career-high 134 pitches. This was the 59th start of Fiers career. It was also the first time he’d ever pitched into the ninth inning.
Fiers added nine strikeouts, including striking out the side in an overpowering eighth. He also wrapped things up with an emphatic strikeout of Justin Turner, which set off the celebration at Minute Maid Park.
The performance was a pitching masterpiece. Fiers used his fastball effectively and dropped a dynamic curveball to finish off several batters. The Dodgers rarely got good swings, and despite the addition of Chase Utley to their lineup, had no answers for Fiers.
The no-hitter was the 11th in Houston’s franchise history. It has been 12 years since the Astros last pitched a no-hitter. On June 11, 2003, Roy Oswalt and five relievers combined to no-hit the New York Yankee at Yankees Stadium. Amazingly, the last time the Dodgers were no-hit was June 8, 2012 in Seattle, and that too was a combined effort with five Mariners contributing.
The way this game started, it almost looked like Fiers would need help reaching the finish line.
That was not the case as he locked in and picked up steam with each passing inning.
By the end, Mike Fiers was simply on fire and the Dodgers were scorched.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
