Volquez Makes History: Ranking The Miami Marlins No-Hitters

No-No No 4: Alvarez Finishes Off Tigers, 2013 Season 9/29/13

Of all the Miami Marlins no-hitters, this is very likely the one that was least watched.

Which is a shame, because it has the strongest case of the bunch so far for actually being ranked No. 1 in this rundown. It’s definitely the most unique, being simultaneously the closest game and the most irrelevant of the six.

When Henderson Alvarez earned the victory in this one, it was Miami’s 62nd victory of the season. The team wasn’t good. There was no resulting hope that this game could be a turning point, something the rotation could rally around. This was it. Their opponent was resting up for the playoffs, led by former Marlins manager Jim Leyland. Miguel Cabrera didn’t even play, although Omar Infante did. Plenty of former Fish on hand to bear witness, all of them with plenty more on their minds than handling a team that was lucky not to set the record for most losses ever.

The flip side though was that this was a thrilling, 1-0 walk off victory. And the Marlins walked off on a wild pitch.

Furthermore, the opposing starter was one Justin Verlander. And while you can argue that the rest of Tigers were thinking October, the former Cy Young winner seemed fairly focused on the task at hand. Verlander was at 80 pitches after 6 IP, and had 10 Ks. A mix of manager caution and having to bow to the realities of playing in an NL ballpark resulted in his early yanking. More than any other Marlins no-hitter, this one was a duel.

Alvarez himself though? The 99 pitches needed for victory was impressive. He only issued a single walk, but did hit a batter. More manager caution there- the guy he plunked was actually Prince Fielder, and he was promptly pulled. The Marlins also had an error, so that’s three reasons this wasn’t perfect right there. There was also the low strikeout total, with the 4 K line being lowest strikeout total in a Marlins no-hitter.

The lack of flash, and the late date in a lost season, made for a fascinating for arguably forgettable classic.