Reds’ Nick Martinez was fighting ‘demons’ early in no-hit bid that fell just short

It didn’t take long for thoughts of a no-hitter to creep into Nick Martinez’s mind Friday.

He held the Padres hitless until the ninth inning during the Reds’ 8-1 win, but Martinez said thoughts of history — or what would happen if he could go all 27 outs without allowing any hits — started forming in his mind early in the game.

“The demons were talking in like the fourth,” Martinez said in an on-field interview. “I was fighting those demons pretty early on, and I was able to really just fight them off and keep my focus just one pitch at a time.”

Martinez, who spent the first four years of his career with the Rangers before playing four seasons in Japan and then attempting to restart his MLB career, walked Jackson Merrill in the first inning and then didn’t allow another baserunner until issuing a five-pitch walk to Trenton Brooks to start the ninth.

Then, two pitches later, Elías Díaz doubled, and Martinez’s night — after 112 pitches — ended in a what-if.

Still, Martinez was an unlikely option to even have a chance at a no-hitter, as he was moved from the rotation to the bullpen earlier this month before getting the start to start the series with the Padres.

He collected a 4.55 ERA across 15 starts to open the 2025 season, before tossing three scoreless innings out of the bullpen across two appearances — including a scoreless seventh against the Yankees on Monday.

“My last start, focus wasn’t quite there, got shelled, which isn’t fun,” Martinez, 34, told reporters postgame, acknowledging the seven runs he allowed in just 2 ⅔ innings against the Twins on June 19. “Coming out of the pen allowed me to simplify things. It definitely helped me tonight.”

His start against the Padres, who inked him to a deal for the 2022 season following his years in Japan, showcased that.

And he fought through the early thoughts to position himself for a chance at the Reds’ first no-hitter since Wade Miley in 2021.

Martinez improved to 5-8 this season with a 4.12 ERA, and it marked just the third time all year he threw at least seven innings and just the second time in 2025 he topped 100 pitches.