Miami Marlins pitcher Edinson Vólquez has worked through some big adversity over the last few years. Two years ago, just hours after the death of his father, the 33-year-old right-hander took the mound in Game 5 of the 2015 World Series, helping the Kansas City Royals clinch the championship over the New York Mets.
On Saturday morning, adversity was in the air again for the Dominican pelotero, as Vólquez woke up with a heavy heart on what was supposed to be the 26th birthday of Yordano Ventura, the late Royals pitcher who passed away in a car crash back in January. Vólquez and Ventura were extremely close, as the Marlins pitcher demonstrated by posting a photo of the pair on Instagram before taking the mound for his scheduled start.
With Ventura on his mind, Vólquez went out on the mound against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and threw his first no-hitter in 263 career regular-season starts. It was the first no-hitter in the majors since Jake Arrieta’s in April of last year.
To make Vólquez’s no-hitter even more notable, the Marlins hadn’t even had a complete game in their last 480 starts. After the first out Saturday, it didn’t appear that they would get to end that streak, as Vólquez collided with Arizona leadoff man Rey Fuentes while covering first, rolling his ankle and taking a hard fall to the turf.
“I thought I broke my ankle,” Vólquez said playfully after the game. “I twisted my ankle a little bit, but I talked to the trainer and told him I feel really good and to just let me go and compete and do my best today.”
His best was more than enough, Vólquez struck out 10, including striking out the side in the ninth inning. Taking only 98 pitches to complete the job, he faced the minimum 27 batters, courtesy of two double plays. In his post-game interview, Vólquez dedicated his performance to both Ventura and late Marlins pitcher José Fernández, who passed away in a boating accident last September.
“[Ventura] was one of my best friends. I’m pretty sure he’s in the right place right now, enjoying this moment right now,” Vólquez told Fox Sports Florida after the Marlins’ 3-0 win in Miami. Vólquez also had a connection to Fernández: the Dominican pitcher was one of the players brought in by the Marlins this past offseason, to try to help fill the void left behind by Fernández’s tragic death.