Following the first no-hitter of the 2017 regular season, Miami Marlins starting pitcher Edinson Volquez has been named the National League Player of the Week for the period ending June 4th. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network.
Volquez compiled a 2-0 record while allowing one run over 15.0 innings pitched to claim his first career Player of the Week Award. Edinson struck out 14 batters and issued four free passes along with just three hits in two dominant starts last week. On Saturday, the 2008 NL All-Star delivered the 150th no-hitter in National League history, and the sixth in franchise history. Since the Marlins became a Major League franchise in 1993, no other club in the Majors has accounted for more no-hitters. This is Miami's third weekly award this season, following Edinson's teammates J.T. Realmuto (April 9th) and Marcell Ozuna (April 16th), which represents the most for any single club in the Majors.
In Volquez's first start of the week last Monday, the right-hander tossed 6.0 innings of one-run ball and allowed just three hits. It was Edinson's fourth consecutive start posting at least 6.0 innings, his longest run of starts since logging a streak of six such starts from June 29 - July 29, 2016. In his final start of the week on Saturday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native registered the first no-hitter of his 13-year career, and the first for the Marlins since Henderson Alvarez on September 29, 2013 against the Detroit Tigers. Jake Arrieta was the last Major League hurler to accomplish the feat, doing so last season on April 21st against the Cincinnati Reds. Needing only 98 pitches to log his impressive no-hitter, Volquez joined David Cone (July 18, 1999) as the only pitchers in the last 30 years to throw no-hitters with 10-or-more strikeouts and fewer than 100 pitches. Additionally, Volquez, who is now pitching at the Major League level with his seventh club, became just the third pitcher since 1974 to conclude his no-hitter with three strikeouts to end the game, joining Arrieta (August 30, 2015 vs. LA Dodgers) and San Francisco's Chris Heston (June 9, 2015 vs. NY Mets).
Edinson's teammate, first baseman Justin Bour (.417, 10 H, 3 HR, 7 RBI), provided Miami with offense during his excellent week. The left-handed slugger became just the fourth player in Marlins history to record 11 home runs in a single month this past May, joining his teammate Giancarlo Stanton (12 HR, May 2012 & June 2015), Dan Uggla (12, May 2008) and Gary Sheffield (11, April 2996). On Wednesday, Bour recorded his first multi-homer game of the season to propel the Marlins to a 10-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. Other noteworthy performances last week included Zack Cozart (.304, 5 R, 4 HR, 8 RBI) of the Cincinnati Reds; Daniel Murphy (.500, 14 H, 3 2B, 7 RBI), Tanner Roark (2-0, 2.45 ERA, 14.2 IP, 10 SO) and Ryan Zimmerman (.440, 8 R, 3 HR, 9 RBI) of the Washington Nationals; and Robert Gsellman (2-0, 2.19 ERA, 12.1 IP, 11 SO) of the New York Mets.
In recognition of his National League Player of the Week Award, Edinson Volquez will be awarded a watch courtesy of Rockwell.