Framber Valdez No Hitter: Astros pitcher records third no-hitter of the year
Framber Valdez of the Houston Astros made history after throwing a no-hitter in a shutout victory against the Cleveland Guardians at Minute Maid Park on Tuesday night.
Valdez's no-hitter was the 16th in the franchise's history and the third in the MLB this season.
He joined Nolan Ryan, J.R. Richard, Gerrit Cole, and Cy Young Award winners Mike Scott, Roger Clemens and Justin Verlander as the only other Astros pitchers to have achieved the rare feat.
However, the 29-year-old from the Dominican Republic is the first left-handed pitcher to achieve the feat for the franchise in their illustrious MLB history.
Valdez managed 93 pitches in the game with seven strikeouts. Notably, it is the third-fewest pitches in a no-hitter or perfect game since 1988.
His only blemish came in the fifth innings when he allowed one baserunner on a walk. However, it did not lead to anything, thanks to a double play in that frame.
Incidentally, the ace pitcher replicated the feat of his new teammate Justin Verlander, who was reacquired by the Astros at the trade deadline from the New York Mets.
Verlander was the last solo pitcher to dish out a no-hitter for the Houston Astros against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sept. 1, 2019.
In the eighth innings, the Astros pitcher began by striking out Gonzalez. He then went on to retire David Fry and Will Brennan with groundouts to end the innings.
This season has seen three instances of a no-hitter in the MLB. Domingo German, a right-handed pitcher from the New York Yankees, pitched a perfect game against the Oakland Athletics.
Last month, Detroit Tigers' Matt Manning, Alex Lange and Jason Foley combined to throw a no-hitter against Toronto.
Framber Valdez's no-hitter helps the Houston Astros to a shutout victory
Valdez's effort came in the second game of the series against the Guardians.
The home side opened the scoring at the bottom of the third innings after Kyle Tucker's two-run single. It proved to be enough for the hosts as the ace pitcher tormented the Guardians' hitters from the mound.
The Astros could name Verlander as the starting pitcher for the series finale on Wednesday against the Guardians.