web1_rr_rrw1_faa.jpg

Pineda sharp in rehab outing

Letter to the Editor: Wilkes-Barre Area school directors should beware allure of ‘quick money’

<p>HOUSTON &#8212; Mike Fiers has 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.</p><p>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 career complete game and the fifth no-hitter in the big leagues this season. Seattle&#8217;s Hisashi Iwakuma tossed a no-no on Aug 12.</p><p>Astros executive Nolan Ryan, who threw a record seven no-hitters, applauded from a suite as Fiers was mobbed by his teammates near the mound after finishing the 11th gem in Astros history.</p><p>&#8220;Oh man, this crowd was going insane,&#8221; Fiers said. &#8220;It got me pumped up. I felt great.&#8221;</p><p>Cole Hamels with Philadelphia, San Francisco&#8217;s Chris Heston and Washington&#8217;s Max Scherzer also have thrown no-hitters this season.</p><p>A night earlier the Astros were on the wrong end of a gem, getting just a fifth-inning single against Tampa Bay&#8217;s Chris Archer.</p><p>Acquired by the Astros at the trade deadline to help with their playoff push, Fiers was stellar in his first two starts for Houston. This was something else, though.</p><p>Having never even gotten an out in the ninth inning in his five-year career, Fiers was dominant. He struck out 10 and walked three, retiring the final 21 batters.</p><p>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.</p><p>Fiers crouched in relief then pointed out to his teammate.</p><p>The closest the Dodgers came to breaking it up was in the sixth inning when Turner&#8217;s towering shot to left with two outs hooked foul.</p><p>The 30-year-old right-hander allowed a walk in each of the first three innings, but didn&#8217;t allow a baserunner after walking Joc Pederson to start the third.</p><p>&#8220;My command was off a little early, I just tried to stick with it, I knew it was going to come,&#8221; Fiers said. &#8220;This game is all about playing for your teammates, guys on the field with you.&#8221;</p><p>After that, he repeatedly had the NL West-leading Dodgers fooled with a nasty curveball and changeup to complement a fastball in the low 90s.</p><p>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.</p><p>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 over 12 innings in his first two starts for Houston.</p><p>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.</p><p>Jake Marisnick gave the Astros a 2-0 lead in the second with a two-run homer off the left center fa&#231;ade. Evan Gattis hit a solo home run to left in the sixth.</p><p>Brett Anderson (7-8) allowed three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts in six innings.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_105374728-1a40c8ecc79f4bd59e1590c8e2b6689a.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Houston Astros starting pitcher Mike Fiers, right, is mobbed by teammates after his no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a baseball game Friday in Houston. The Astros won 3-0. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_105374728-1a40c8ecc79f4bd59e1590c8e2b6689a.jpg</photo0><caption0>Houston Astros starting pitcher Mike Fiers, right, is mobbed by teammates after his no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a baseball game Friday in Houston. The Astros won 3-0. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Kristie Rieken</p><p>AP Sports Writer</p></bylineMeta></div>

Astros’ Fiers throws no-hitter against Dodgers in 3-0 win