Hinch helps Fiers bask in no-hitter’s afterglow
The excitement, adrenaline and overwhelming pride Astros righthander Mike Fiers felt during the first no-hitter of his career Friday night started coming back to him as he approached Minute Maid Park on Saturday.
When he entered the home clubhouse, a ball from the 3-0 gem rested inside his locker, rekindling the emotions he felt while striking out the Dodgers’ Justin Turner for the final out.
“Still living the dream,” Fiers said.
Fiers donated the cap he wore
and the ball he threw for the last strike to the Hall of Fame, leaving him with only a ball as a memento from the 11th no-hitter in Astros history.
He received another after A.J. Hinch summoned him to the manager’s office. Hinch asked Fiers to take a seat, then handed him the lineup card that hung inside the Astros’ dugout Friday night.
“It kind of reminded me that it wasn’t a dream. It did happen,” said Fiers, who struck out 10 and walked three in his masterpiece. “Not to think I can’t do something like that, but … when things like this happen, you just take it all in, and you embrace it. You respect the people who threw no-hitters more. It’s not easy.”
Hinch asked Fiers to look over the Dodgers’ lineup. It included accomplished veterans such as Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier, who are part of a $300 million payroll, highest in major league history.
“There’s some good names there,” Hinch said. “There’s some good track records. When he looks at the lineup card, he’ll remember what he had to overcome getting the last out. It was fun to watch him stare at it and let it sink in even more of how big of an accomplishment it was.” Time for reflection
Fiers, who watched his mother fight a losing battle against lupus before she died in 2013, thought of all the obstacles he overcame before the defining moment of his career.
He thought back to the 2008 car accident that left him with fractured bones in his back after he was ejected through the windshield.
He also reminisced about all the sacrifices his mother, Linda Korman, made to help nurture his career. His parents divorced when he was 3, but his father, Bruce, always made time to play catch.
“You don’t know what everyone else has been through to get here. For me, it’s been a long road,” Fiers said. “It’s been a tough one, up and down.”
Fiers, 30, brushed off a minor controversy that erupted late Friday night, dismissing speculation that surfaced when some people on Twitter posted pictures of his glove and accused him of having pine tar on it.
“You can try to pick out a lot of things through a lot of games,” Fiers said. “I don’t know what they are talking about. It could be a different lighting or camera angle or a lot of things.” Mattingly won’t bite
It’s against the rules to use a foreign substance on a baseball, but even Dodgers manager Don Mattingly didn’t want any part of the accusations.
“I think it sounds like you’re whining,” Mattingly said.
With the exception of Los Angeles catcher Yasmani Grandal, who complained about the strike zone while admitting past differences with plate umpire John Tumpane, most of the Dodgers had high praise for Fiers.
With all due respect to them, however, the 6-2, 198-pounder from Pompano Beach, Fla., is more interested in impressing Hinch and the Astros.
Heading into Friday, some speculated that Fiers might fall out of the Astros’ rotation when Hinch goes back to a five-man group. Hinch informed Fiers on Saturday that he will make his next start next weekend against Minnesota.
Equally important, Fiers was excited to have another no-hitter keepsake to give his father and stepmother.
“It’s a really cool moment, especially coming to a new team and playing for new teammates, new coaches and a new manager,” said Fiers, who was acquired with outfielder Carlos Gomez in a July deadline trade with the Brewers.
“To do that in a short period of time, it’s good for me. Because I want to show this team that I can pitch in a playoff race and give them quality innings and bust my butt to do whatever I can to win these games.”