Strong Finish to a Short Season

Henderson Alvarez may not have had the debut he had wished for with the Miami Marlins, but he certainly couldn't have asked for a better ending. On Sunday afternoon, in the final game of the season, Alvarez became the first Fisher Cats alum to throw a solo no-hitter in the major leagues in a 1-0 win over the Detroit Tigers.

That paragraph doesn't begin to tell the whole story of Alvarez' triumph. He and former Fisher Cats teammate Adeiny Hechavarria both had to make dazzling defensive plays to keep the no-hit bid alive. Just as importantly, his teammates needed to get him a run as the Marlins and Tigers played scoreless ball into the ninth inning.

In the final frame, that's when the Marlins earned Alvarez his first no-no. With a man at third and Alvarez actually in the on-deck circle, a wild pitch plated the game's only run to hand the Marlins the victory.

For Alvarez, it was the sweetest of endings with his new franchise. After being included in the blockbuster trade last fall, Alvarez began 2013 on the disabled list. He eventually resumed pitching on minor league rehab starts in June and made his first National League appearance in July. Over the course of the next three months, he made 17 starts and put together a 5-6 record with a 3.59 earned run average.

You can read about and watch video from Alvarez' mighty performance on Sunday right here.