Marlins' Henderson Alvarez pitches no-hitter against Tigers

MIAMI -- With the bases loaded, two outs and no score in the bottom of the ninth yesterday, Henderson Alvarez stood in the Miami Marlins' on-deck circle, bat in hand, hoping to complete his no-hitter. Alvarez had blanked the Detroit Tigers for nine innings -- and briefly, mistakenly thought he had pitched a no-hitter. But Miami needed a run for him to achieve the feat.

"I was nervous and anxious," he said through a translator. "I prayed, 'Please give us a run.' I was hoping for a wild pitch."

That's exactly how Miami scored. Giancarlo Stanton crossed the plate standing up when a breaking ball skipped to the backstop, and Alvarez had his no-hitter, beating the Tigers, 1-0, on the final day of the regular season.

Alvarez -- due to hit next -- took off his helmet and began to celebrate with teammates in the on-deck circle while still wearing his batting gloves. Later, the 23-year-old Venezuelan went into the stands to hug his pregnant wife and kiss her belly.

Of the 282 no-hitters in history, it was the only one to end on a wild pitch, according to STATS. And it was the first walk-off, complete-game no-hitter since Virgil Trucks of the Tigers threw one in 1952.

Alvarez needed the run for his no-hitter to be official, because a Major League Baseball ruling in 1991 said only complete games of nine or more innings with no hits count as no-hitters.

Alvarez (5-6) struck out four, walked one and hit a batter against a patchwork lineup.

It was the fourth season-ending no-hitter ever, and the first since Mike Witt of the Angels threw a perfect game at Texas in 1984. In 1975, Vida Blue and three Oakland relievers combined to no-hit the Angels, and in 1892, Bumpus Jones of Cincinnati did it against Pittsburgh.