For the first time since April 21, 2016, a pitcher showed the dominance to throw a no-hitter. Edinson Volquez dedicated the feat to his close late friends, Yordano Ventura and Jose Fernandez. Volquez’s no-hitter is the first of his career, the first of the season, and the 295th no-no in MLB history. It is the first no-hitter in major league baseball since Jake Arrieta no-hit the Cincinnati Reds last season.
Edinson Volquez Pitches No-Hitter
The Game
On June 3, 2017, the Miami Marlins hosted the Arizona Diamondbacks at Marlins Park. The Marlins have struggled this season. As the team is currently for sale, everything is in the air for the squad. However, the stars aligned properly for Volquez on an unseasonably cool day in Miami. He came into Saturday’s match tied for the league lead in losses.
His day nearly ended before it began. Rey Fuentes slapped a ground ball down the first base line. Fielded cleanly by Justin Bour, Volquez covered first and accepted the flip from Bour for the out. However, Fuentes and Volquez collided on the play, and Volquez favored the leg on his way back to the mound.
Craig Minervini of Fox Sports asked him about the collision and the effect it had on him. “I thought I broke my ankle,” Volquez joked. “… In the fourth inning I told (the trainer) I don’t feel too good right now. I might stop pitching.”
Volquez faced only 27 batters, the minimum possible in a 9-inning win, and he only needed 98 pitches to do it. The Diamondbacks did get two base runners by way of walks. The Marlins defense took care of them as parts of double plays. He struck out ten batters throughout the game, including Nick Ahmed, Daniel Descalso, and Chris Owings in the 9th to finish the game.
The Diamondbacks have only been shut out three times in team history. Saturday by Volquez, Anibal Sanchez of the Marlins in 2006, and by St. Louis Cardinal Jose Jimenez in 1999.
Main Photo
