Deerfield Beach, Nova Southeastern alumnus joins rare company with second no-hitter

Mike Fiers knew his margin for error was slim to get the final outs Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds. The starting pitcher, a Deerfield Beach High School alumnus, needed 131 pitches to get through the full nine innings in the Oakland Athletics’ 2-0 win against the Reds in Oakland.

Every one of them was worth it.

Long after midnight on the East Coast, Fiers looped a 74-mph curveball past Cincinnati third baseman Eugenio Suarez for the 27th and final out of the win at Oakland-Alameda Coliseum. Fiers’ final line: nine innings, no runs, six strikeouts, two walks, no hits. The right-handed pitcher threw the second no-hitter of his career.

“I thought, late in the game, if any runner got on, I was going to be coming out, just with all the pitches I had,” Fiers told reporters after making history in California. “I’m just really thankful for him leaving me in and trusting me, and I told him I felt great, I felt like everything was working.”

Fiers’ second no-hitter places him in relatively exclusive company. The righty becomes the 35th player in MLB history to throw multiple no-hitters in his career, joining a list which also includes Randy Johnson, Roy Halladay, Justin Verlander, Tim Lincecum and Nolan Ryan, who holds the record with seven no-hitters. Fiers’ no-hitter was also the 300th in the history of the Major Leagues.

Fiers’ place on a list filled with All-Stars, Cy Young Award winners and future Hall of Famers is unusual. The starter has a career ERA of 4.11 and has never been selected for an All-Star Game. The pitcher went unselected in the MLB draft when he came out of Deerfield Beach and wound up at the junior college level, spending two years at Broward College in Fort Lauderdale, then another season at University of the Cumberlands, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics program in Williamsburg, Kentucky. Fiers finished his college career back in Fort Lauderdale at Division II Nova Southeastern University before the Milwaukee Brewers selected him in the 22nd round of the 2009 draft.

In 2015, Fiers etched his name in history once, throwing his first no-hitter for the Houston Astros. Now he has an even larger place in history.

“It’s pretty cool. I’m just grateful to be here,” Fiers said. “I wasn’t too high on the charts. I was a guy throwing 88-90 mph and down in South Florida, so I was one in a million down there. I want to thank Charlie Sullivan, a Milwaukee Brewers scout, for giving me the opportunity and putting in a good word. My coaches, family, friends, everybody who has stuck with me.

“You almost get emotional. I could be working a nine-to-five job, doing so many other things. Playing this game that I love, I’m just blessed.”

This story was originally published May 8, 2019 at 8:34 AM.