Astros Pitch Combined No-Hitter
On a night where the Houston Astros honored their legends, the current ball club put on a show. Across four different pitchers, the Astros blanked the Seattle Mariners, bringing forth the 12th no-hitter in Astros history.
Not only was it the 12th no-hitter in Astros history, but it was also the second-ever no-hit contest in Minute Maid Park history. It tied for the most pitchers used in a combined no-hitter in quite some time. The last time Houston pitched a no-hitter was in 2003 when Roy Oswalt (one inning), Peter Munro (two and two thirds innings), Kirk Saarloos (one and one third inning), Brad Lidge (two innings), Octavio Dotel (one inning), and Billy Wagner (one inning) accomplished the feat.
The 2019 crew
For the 12th and more recent no-hitter by Houston, it all started with newly acquired Aaron Sanchez. The no-hitter was given an extra-special twist, given that it was the Houston debut for Sanchez. Sanchez produced six strikeouts and two walks through six innings pitched. He hadn’t won a game since April 27. In his performance Saturday night, he more than made up for it, becoming the first pitcher since Greg Maddux was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers to earn such a win in his first outing with a new team post-trade deadline. Sanchez had a 3-14 record heading into the contest but now looks to have turned a corner with the Astros, the second team the one-time All-Star has been a part of.
Following Sanchez’s strong outing, Will Harris pitched the seventh, walking one. Joe Biagini took the mound in the eighth, while Chris Devenski closed it out in the ninth with a strikeout.
History of the Houston Astros no-hitter
No-hitters are certainly not new to the Houston area. Along with the more recent endeavors, no-hitter events have been present in multiple forms. Back when Houston was the Colt .45s, pitcher Ken Johnson became the only single pitcher to throw a complete nine-inning no-hitter for a loss back in 1964. That came a year after Don Nottebart completed Houston’s first no-hitter.
Houston also had a slight hand in Nolan Ryan‘s epic run to seven no-hitters, a mark that still stands today. Houston also has one of 32 pitchers in MLB history to throw no-hitters as rookies (Don Wilson – 1967 vs. Atlanta). Meanwhile, Houston, throughout history, has suffered five no-hitters against them.
Main Photo
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