Mike Fiers threw a no-hitter, and it was anything but smooth. From the start, he struggled to find control, constantly adjusting his grip and asking for new balls. The game began with a wild first pitch, and he seemed to spend half the outing rubbing up balls and regripping. In the fourth inning, a grounder up the middle led to an error, but he still hadn’t given up a hit. He leaned heavily on his routine, reapplying whatever sticky mix he had going between nearly every pitch.
His defense came through with a few key plays that saved the no-hit bid. One standout moment saw a hard-hit ball nearly drop into center, only for it to be tracked down for the out. Joey Votto smashed a deep shot that looked dangerous, but it was snagged, keeping the no-hitter alive. Even Yasiel Puig had a close call, fouling off pitches and testing Fiers’ control late in the game. Through it all, Fiers kept going, loading up the baseballs with grip substances that players around the league quietly accept.
Despite the visible grip tactics and a few shaky moments, Fiers closed it out. The performance had some luck, some questionable sticky hand moments, and a lot of foul balls, but in the end, the box score reads the same: no hits allowed. Fiers joins the list with his second career no-hitter and a whole lot of regrips along the way.