The no-hitter that turned Reds history into something out of Marvel

There've been 17 no-hitters in Cincinnati Reds history, but perhaps none were as sweet as Wade Miley's near-flawless performance against Cleveland during a rainy May night in 2021. The game was delayed for over an hour and a half, but Miley used a superhero-inspired incentive to mow down the Cleveland lineup and came away with the first no-no of his career.

It all began with a rain-soaked Progressive Field in Cleveland. There were moments where it seemed as if the weather wasn't going to break and the game was surely going to be postponed. But after a 93-minute delay, the two teams took the field and Miley had a little something super that night.

Miley's young son, Jeb, had given his dad a temporary tattoo of the Incredible Hulk the day before his start, and the lefty applied it to his forearm prior to stepping onto the mound that night. Whether or not that temporary tattoo gave Miley superhuman strength is debatable, but he certainly put forth an incredible performance that night.

Wade Miley's no-hitter turned Reds history into something out of a Marvel movie

Miley is a quick worker anyway. Though his no-hitter came before the pitch clock was ever implemented, Miley almost never wasted anytime delivering the ball to the plate. Miley faced the minimum through the first five innings with only one ball — a fly ball out off the bat of Eddie Rosario in the second inning — even left the infield.

A fielding error by Nick Senzel — who normally served as the Reds centerfielder, but was playing second base during that game — during the sixth inning allowed the first Cleveland base runner to reach safely. Senzel not only booted the play, but a poor throw allowed Cleveland's Amed Rosario to take second base.

Miley then walked Cesar Hernandez two batters later to put runners at first and second. But a fly ball out to former Reds outfielder Shogo Akiyama ended the threat and while Miley lost the perfect game, his no-hitter was still intact.

A strikeout to lead off the seventh inning followed by five straight groundball outs set the stage for the ninth inning. Though it should be noted that entering the top of the ninth inning, the game was tied at 0-0. Back-to-back singled from Senzel and Jesse Winker allowed a fielder's choice off the bat of Nick Castellanos to put the Reds up 1-0. A balk, followed by an RBI single, allowed the Reds to plate two more runs and head into the bottom of the ninth inning with a 3-0 lead.

Miley did the rest. A lineout, a strikeout, and ground ball to Kyle Farmer that he threw on to first base ended the game in the ninth inning and the celebration ensued. Miley embraced his catcher Tucker Barnhart and his teammates dosed him with water and were jumping in unison.

Miley's superhero-inspired no-hitter was one of the most intriguing Reds' memories of the last decade, and one that he and his son can share for a lifetime.

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