MIAMI _ For a moment, Edinson Volquez appeared in danger of not lasting more than one batter Saturday.
The Marlins' veteran right-hander shook off a scare on the first play of the game when he collided while recording an out at first base with Diamondbacks leadoff hitter Rey Fuentes.
It was the hardest hit Volquez endured all day.
In command the whole way, Volquez became the sixth Marlins pitcher to toss a no-hitter in a 3-0 win against the Diamondbacks at Marlins Park.
The Marlins' most recent no-hitter was by Henderson Alvarez on the final day of the 2013 season at Marlins Park. The others were by Al Leiter, Kevin Brown, A.J. Burnett and Anibal Sanchez.
The Marlins hadn't a complete game since Henderson Alvarez shut out the Tampa Bay Rays on June 3, 2014.
Volquez struck out the side in the ninth inning. He got Nick Ahmed swinging on a changeup breaking in the dirt.
Pinch-hitters Daniel Descalso and Chris Owings went down swinging as well. Catcher J.T Realmuto blocked the final pitch and completed the final out with a throw to first.
The suspense began to build when Volquez blew away Paul Goldschmidt, the Diamondbacks' best hitter, with 92-mph fastball to end the seventh.
The only Arizona hitter to reach base to that point was Jake Lamb, who walked to lead off the fifth, and he was erased on a double play.
Volquez struck out Lamb to open the eighth, then issued his second walk of the day, to Chris Herrmann. Brandon Drury then bounced a changeup to third and Derek Dietrich started another double play around the horn.
Two walks, two double plays, and Volquez was through eight innings having faced the minimum of 24 batters.
Volquez, who signed a two-year, $22 million contract as a free agent in the offseason, lost his first seven decisions for Miami before recording his first win of the season Monday when he held the Phillies to one run and three hits in six innings.
Volquez threw a one-hit shutout against the Houston Astros on July 19, 2012 for the Padres in San Diego.
Justin Bour provided the offensive support Volquez needed by driving in two runs with a pair of hits, including a double.
On the first play of the game, Volquez tangled with Fuentes after taking a throw from first baseman Bour, who made a backhand stop near the base line. Fuentes stepped on Volquez's right foot as they converged and the pitcher appeared to roll an ankle as the two tumbled past the base.
Volquez got up limping but walked it off and completed a 1-2-3 opening frame by catching Goldschmidt looking with a changeup on the inside corner.
Volquez needed only 30 pitches to complete three perfect innings, with three strikeouts. He also smacked a two-out single in the third off Randall Delgado, normally a reliever but making his third start for the D-backs.
A replay reversal kept the D-backs without a hit through four after a Marlins challenge showed that Bour got Goldschmidt with a sweep tag on a wide throw from shortstop J.T. Riddle.
The Diamondbacks finally got a base runner when Jake Lamb led off the fifth with a walk. Volquez got through the inning still having faced the minimum after Riddle turned a double play on Drury's made-to-order grounder.
Volquez kept rolling with a five-pitch inning in the sixth.
Bour, who began the day tied for the league lead in homers, drove in the first run by poking an RBI single the opposite way just over third baseman Jake Lamb's reach. It was an Ichiro-like hit by the burly first baseman, who began the day hitting .355 on the homestand.
It was the only run the Marlins managed off Delgado in 51/3 innings. They left runners in scoring position in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.
It remained 1-0 until the Marlins broke through in the bottom of the eighth on run-scoring hits by Marcell Ozuna and Bour.
Volquez received a standing ovation when he came to bat with the bases loaded and two outs from the crowd of 21,548, including 615 dogs for Bark in the Park. He had a hit earlier in the game but went down quickly on three pitches.
The only question that remained was whether he could complete the gem.
