Zimmermann (14-5) struck out 10 and allowed only two baserunners in the franchise's first no-hitter since Dennis Martinez accomplished the feat for the Montreal Expos against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1991. Left fielder Steven Souza capped off the victory with a spectacular play for the 27th out, laying out at a full sprint to rob Christian Yelich in the left-center field gap.

Ian Desmond provided all the offense Zimmermann needed with a homer in the second inning. Marlins right-hander Henderson Alvarez (12-7), who tossed a no-hitter against Detroit in last season's finale, was the hard-luck loser after allowing one run on 11 hits over seven innings.

Zimmermann sat down 14 straight before issuing a two-out walk to Justin Bour in the fifth. Garrett Jones reached on a strikeout and wild pitch with two outs in the seventh but was picked off first by catcher Wilson Ramos to end the inning.

Nationals manager Matt Williams replaced most of his starters early in the game, but the reserves came up with a handful of nice defensive plays to keep the Marlins at bay. Center fielder Michael Taylor tracked down Jarrod Saltalamacchia's deep drive to center for the second out in the ninth, and Souza's diving grab near the warning track sent Washington into the postseason on a high note.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Zimmermann has posted 12 consecutive quality starts and won eight straight decisions, and the Nationals have won the last 11 games he has started. … Washington CF Denard Span set the Nationals' single-season record with his 184th hit, surpassing Cristian Guzman's mark set in 2008. … The Marlins and manager Mike Redmond agreed to a contract extension through 2017.