The circumstances of Mike Fiers' no-hitter against the Reds make it one of the quirkiest in recent memory

A's right-hander Mike Fiers threw a no-hitter on Tuesday against the Reds, the second no-hitter of his career and the 13th in A's history, following lefty Sean Manaea's no-hitter against the Red Sox last April. For the second year in a row, an A's pitcher threw the first no-hitter of the season.

Mike Fiers a no-no. ?

(MLB x @YouTubeTV) pic.twitter.com/mzYhCwDBUu

— MLB (@MLB) May 8, 2019

This game, however, had some special quirks to it that will make it one of the more memorable no-hitters in A's franchise history. For one, the game was delayed an hour and a half due to a lighting issue in the outfield (and despite Derek Dietrich's best efforts).

Additionally, Fiers threw 131 pitches ... which is quite a lot these days, in this era of "openers" and with so few pitchers throwing complete games, let alone no-hitters. It's the most pitches thrown in a no-hitter since ... well, Mike Fiers:

Mike Fiers threw 131 pitches to complete the no-hitter. That’s the most since …

Mike Fiers threw 134 in his 1st no-no in 2015. pic.twitter.com/lBhnjy8E7q

— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) May 8, 2019

Weird.

In an amusing twist, Fiers first no-hitter came in August 2015 against the Dodgers and opposing left-handed starter Brett Anderson -- who is now Fiers' teammate in Oakland.

Witnessing this Fiers no-hitter was exponentially cooler than the 1st

— Brett Anderson (@_BAnderson30_) May 8, 2019

When a pitcher does manage to toss a no-hitter, it's usually easy to think back to a play or two from his teammates in the field as key moments in the game -- and that's definitely the case with Fiers' no-hitter on Tuesday. And to make it even more memorable, the two no-no-saving plays in this one came in consecutive plate appearances in the sixth inning.

First up was second baseman Jurickson Profar, who ranged into no man's land in short right field to spear a popup from Kyle Farmer that seemed destined to fall in for a hit:

Joey Votto was up next, and hit a home run -- er, he and everybody watching thought he did. The problem? He hit it toward Ramón Laureano, which is not advised:

Those plays right there? Those are exactly what a pitcher needs in order to throw a no-hitter. Fiers doesn't rack up a ton of strikeouts, either (his K/9 rate thus far in 2019 is 6.8), so he has to rely on the guys behind him in the field ... and they had his back on Tuesday.

An especially fun fact about Fiers' no-hitter on Tuesday night, however, is how it factors in with A's franchise history. Specifically, this little tidbit regarding the timing of Fiers' no-no and previous perfect games thrown by Dallas Braden and the late Jim "Catfish" Hunter:

Mike Fiers threw a no-hitter tonight, May 7, 2019.
Catfish Hunter threw a perfect game May 8, 1968.@DALLASBRADEN209 threw a perfect game May 9, 2010.

Wild. @Athletics pic.twitter.com/zsfKiwMLE5

— Adrian Garro (@adriangarro) May 8, 2019

That's a bit wild, right?

Baseball is a wonderful thing.