Justin Verlander has made history on the mound once again. The Houston Astros pitcher threw the third no-hitter of his career, the second time this feat has occurred against the Toronto Blue Jays.
A scoreless game going into the ninth, Verlander’s no-hitter would not have been possible without the two-run home run by Canadian third base reserve Abraham Toro.
The decision to put Toro into the lineup paid off for the Astros, as Toro hit an opposite-field two-run home run. The Canadian prospect even assisted on the final out, a ground ball to third base from Bo Bichette — paving the way for Justin Verlander to secure himself into the annals of baseball history.
Justin Verlander Enters Rare Place in MLB History
Similarly to when Verlander no-hit the Blue Jays in 2011 as a member of the Detroit Tigers, he possessed dominance from the first pitch.
In this masterpiece performance Sunday afternoon, Verlander finished with 14 strikeouts and one walk — to Blue Jays second baseman Cavan Biggio in the first inning. The 36-year-old ace only required 120 pitches to complete the no-hitter.
Before Verlander, no pitcher had ever no-hit the same team on the road twice. The former Cy Young winner is now the third pitcher in MLB history to no-hit the same team twice — the others being Addie Joss (vs. Chicago White Sox) and Tim Lincecum (vs. San Diego Padres). Verlander’s no-hitter is the fourth this season, and the first since his fellow pitchers, Aaron Sanchez, Will Harris, Joe Biagini, and Chris Devenski combined on a 9-0 no-hit win on August 3rd.
The Astros are poised to have a deep run in the 2019 MLB Postseason. With Verlander having a stellar season (16-5, 2.69 ERA, 0.80 WHIP), there is no challenge too daunting for the Astros ace.
Joining Cy Young, Bob Feller, and Larry Corcoran, Justin Verlander adds to his legacy as one of baseball’s greatest pitchers.
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