MIAMI, FL – JUNE 03: Edinson Volquez #36 of the Miami Marlins throws a pitch during the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Marlins Park on June 3, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)

Before Edinson Volquez took the mound at Marlins Park on Saturday, baseball had not seen a no-hitter in over a year.

Volquez put an emphatic end to that drought, shutting down the Diamondbacks over nine dazzling innings. He threw only 98 pitches, struck out 10, walked two and allowed no hits in a 3-0 Miami win. The final out came on a strikeout of Nick Ahmed, his third K of the inning.

Maybe the most incredible aspect of Volquez’s no-hitter was that he injured his ankle on a collision at first base in the first inning and had to show trainers he could stay in the game. Not only did he keep pitching, he delivered the best performance of his career and one of the best we’ll see all year.

The no-hitter was the sixth in Marlins history and the first since Henderson Alvarez in 2013. Alvarez was also the last pitcher to pull off a no-hitter on less than 100 pitches. Baseball’s most recent no-no had been Jake Arrieta’s gem last April.

The no-hitter is an awesome accomplishment for Volquez, who has had some pretty serious ups and downs in his 13-year career. The righty has pitched for six teams and is best known for winning Game 1 of the 2015 World Series for the Royals, not knowing his father had died earlier that day.

Volquez said after the game that the no-hitter was particularly meaningful for him because it came on the birthday of Yordano Ventura, his friend and former teammate who died last winter. Just Saturday morning, Volquez had posted a photo of himself and Ventura on Instagram.

He also he wad dedicating his outing to Ventura and former Marlin Jose Fernandez, who died in September.

Prior to Saturday, Volquez’s previous best outing had come on June 20, 2012, when he was pitching for the Padres. That day, he allowed only an infield hit in a complete game shutout.

About Alex Putterman

Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.