No-hitter tossed by Florida Marlins 22-year-old rookie Anibal Sanchez ends record drought in MLB.

Anibal Sanchez blanked the Arizona Diamondbacks Wednesday night for the Major League’s first no-hitter since 2004. It was the first no-hitter by a rookie since 2001 when Bud Smith of the St. Louis Cardinals shut down the San Diego Padres.

Sanchez had a lot of help from his Marlins teammates. Defensive gems were turned in by shortstop Hanley Ramirez and leftfielder Josh Willingham to preserve the no-hit bid. Willingham made a diving grab to rob Chad Tracy of a hit in the fourth while Ramirez was able to snag a grounder up the middle off the bat of Stephen Drew in the seventh before fielding Eric Byrnes’ two-out ground ball and throwing him out to complete the no-hitter.

After the game Sanchez said “This is the best moment of my life, you never think that's going to happen.” The history behind the game was made even more special for Sanchez because his wife was one of the few Marlins fans in attendance. Close to tears answering reporters questions, Sanchez spoke about having her there “I don't know, I can't say any more. I love her, I love my family.”

Ironically, the Arizona Diamondbacks were the last team to have a pitcher throw a no-hitter. Randy Johnson threw a perfect game against the Atlanta Braves in 2004. Sanchez’s no-hitter broke a record string of 6,364 Major League games between no-hitters.

Sanchez became the fourth Marlins pitcher to toss a no-hitter, an impressive number for a franchise that has only been in existence for 14 years. In comparison, the New York Mets have yet to have a pitcher throw a no-hitter