Jeimer Candelario was a 23-year-old rookie who had just been traded to the Tigers when he had his first brush with a no-hitter on Sept. 17, 2017. He was Detroit¡¯s starting third baseman when Matthew Boyd took a no-hit bid into the ninth inning against the White Sox before Tim Anderson ended it with a two-out double to right. So Candelario knew the importance of a defensive gem.

As he watched Spencer Turnbull pile up outs Tuesday against the Mariners, all he could think about from third base was to be ready.

¡°I was always prepared, expecting to get a ground ball,¡± Candelario said after Turnbull threw the eighth no-hitter in Tigers history. ¡°I was preparing myself to make a play.¡±

With nine outs to go, the play found him. Mitch Haniger¡¯s grounder was hit hard enough that Candelario couldn¡¯t think about it. All he could do was react, and all Turnbull could do was watch.

¡°That ball was hit so hard, I didn¡¯t have time to think,¡± Turnbull said with a laugh. ¡°It was already in Candy¡¯s glove. That was kind of one of those moments.¡±

Every no-hitter seems to have one of those, that defensive gem that carries the game through. Sometimes they happen early, before anyone is thinking about a no-hitter. But by the time Haniger turned on Turnbull¡¯s 2-1 fastball in the seventh, the chance at history was already on everybody¡¯s mind.

Though Turnbull pounded the strike zone with fastballs and sliders, the Mariners rarely tested him early. Kyle Seager¡¯s fly ball down the right-field line sent Nomar Mazara running it down in the corner to end the first inning. Haniger¡¯s 392-foot fly ball to center sent rookie outfielder Akil Baddoo to the warning track.

Other than that, Turnbull cruised through six innings with a steady combination of relatively routine grounders and strikeouts. Haniger¡¯s third at-bat threatened to change things.

According to Statcast, Haniger¡¯s flyout and groundout were the only two Mariners balls in play with an expected batting average over .400. The grounder was the hardest-hit ball by either side all night, with an exit velocity of 108.4 mph. It was a test for Candelario, arguably the steadiest Tigers infielder this year but still negative-1 in Outs Above Average.

¡°I just knew I hit it hard and I was hoping it got by him,¡± Haniger said.

Candelario lunged towards the line and snagged it on a hop, gathered and threw across the infield to first for the out.

"Fantastic play,¡± Mariners manager Scott Servais said, ¡°and in most no-hitters there's one or two of those plays.¡±

It brought back flashbacks for Turnbull, who as a freshman at the University of Alabama threw seven hitless innings against South Carolina on April 27, 2014 before the game was suspended by lightning. He remembers Christian Walker, now the D-backs' first baseman, hitting a couple such balls.

As he watched Candelario throw to Miguel Cabrera to complete the out, Turnbull breathed a sigh of relief.

¡°That was the kind of moment,¡± he said, ¡°when I was like, ¡®Alright, I think this is my night. I¡¯m just going to keep going and hopefully I can finish it.¡±

Turnbull finished it out. And Candelario, who says he had never been part of a no-hitter, could join the celebration.

¡°He gave me a hug,¡± Candelario said, ¡°and told me that was a nice play. It was a special moment for me and for him.¡±