HOUSTON – Mike Fiers pitched the second no-hitter in the major leagues in nine days, leading the Houston Astros to a 3-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.
Fiers (6-9) struck out Justin Turner on his 134th pitch to end it and threw his glove high into the air for his first no-hitter and the fifth in the big leagues this season.
“Oh man, this crowd was going insane,” Fiers said. “It got me pumped up. I felt great.”
Seattle’s Hisashi Iwakuma tossed a no-no on Aug. 12.
Cole Hamels with Philadelphia, San Francisco’s Chris Heston and Washington’s Max Scherzer also have thrown no-hitters this season.
Acquired by the Astros at the trade deadline to help with their playoff push, Fiers has been stellar in his three starts for Houston. This was something else, though.
Having never even gotten an out in the ninth inning in his five-year career, Fiers was dominant Friday. He struck out 10 and walked three, retiring the final 21 batters.
Nolan Ryan applauded from a suite, as Fiers was mobbed by his teammates near the mound after finishing the 11th no-hitter in Astros history.
Fiers (1-0) needed little help from his defense until Jake Marisnick had to sprint to catch a long flyball by Jimmy Rollins just in front of the bullpen in right field for the first out of the ninth inning.
Fiers crouched in relief then pointed out to his teammate.
The closest the Dodgers came to breaking it up was in the sixth inning when Turner’s towering shot to left with two outs hooked foul.
The 30-year-old right-hander allowed a walk in each of the first three innings but didn’t allow a baserunner after walking Joc Pederson to start the third.
“My command was off a little early, I just tried to stick with it, I knew it was going to come,” Fiers said. “This game is all about playing for your teammates, guys on the field with you.”
He repeatedly had the NL West-leading Dodgers fooled with a nasty curveball and changeup to complement a fastball in the low 90s.
It was the first no-hitter by one Astros pitcher since Darryl Kile blanked the Mets on Sept. 8, 1993. Six Houston pitchers combined to throw one against the Yankees on June 11, 2003.
Fiers was acquired with Carlos Gomez from Milwaukee on July 30 and has been rejuvenated by the move from a last-place club to the top of the AL West. He allowed just one earned run in 12 innings in two starts for Houston entering Friday.
Fiers was a 22nd-round pick of the Brewers in 2009. He made his major league debut in September of 2011 and spent his entire career with Milwaukee before the recent trade.
Jake Marisnick gave the Astros a 2-0 lead in the second with a two-run homer off the left center façade.
