{"id":122792,"date":"2026-05-26T22:21:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T02:21:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=122792"},"modified":"2026-05-26T22:21:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T02:21:20","slug":"astros-no-hitter-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/05\/26\/astros-no-hitter-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Monday&#8217;s Astros No-Hitter Made History in Multiple Ways"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Houston Astros are the no-hitter kings of baseball. Just when it was least expected, the Astros threw their 18th no-hitter in franchise history in a 9-0 win over the Texas Rangers on Monday night at Globe Life Field.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"b0c95bc04383cef69c6b47df872135cf\" image-id=\"WmOB0IUaVX6b\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 4526px; aspect-ratio: 4526\/3621;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<p>The pitching staff that was considered the worst in baseball not too long ago just threw a combined no-hitter. That\u2019s arguably more difficult than a no-hitter by one pitcher, because you need multiple hurlers to be on their game and not allow a hit.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">THE MOMENT!!! <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yRVK1rHq9G\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/yRVK1rHq9G<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Houston Astros (@astros) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/astros\/status\/2059089899265917301?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 26, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>A Historic Astros No-Hitter<\/h2>\n<p><a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/i\/imaita01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tatsuya Imai<\/a>, <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/o\/okertst01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Steven Okert<\/a>, and rookie reliever <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/santaal01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alimber Santa<\/a> combined for the seventh no-hitter in the last eight seasons for the Astros.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\"> \u00a0<\/span>There\u2019s not an organization in baseball that has done combined no-hitters better than the Astros. This was the fifth combined no-hitter in Astros history, which is also the most in MLB history. All five of them have come since 2003.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">HISTORY MADE.<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ChaseTheFight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#ChaseTheFight<\/a> x <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/budweiserusa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@budweiserusa<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/5GqX4CLQdm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/5GqX4CLQdm<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Houston Astros (@astros) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/astros\/status\/2059097287888925158?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 26, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Here Comes Santa<\/h2>\n<p>The biggest piece of history and the most impressive part of the achievement was what Santa accomplished. He became just the second player ever to make his MLB debut as part of a no-hitter. Santa was the first player since <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jonesbu01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bumpus Jones<\/a> in 1882 to get that done. It\u2019s been 134 years since that happened, and Santa was the one who did it and closed out the no-hitter with two perfect innings.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Debut of a lifetime. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yc05Oz8134\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/yc05Oz8134<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Houston Astros (@astros) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/astros\/status\/2059103449669611725?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 26, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Astros have thrown the most no-hitters in baseball since their founding season of 1962. The next closest are the Los Angeles Dodgers with 13.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>This was the first no-hitter in MLB since Sept. 4, 2024. It was arguably the most improbable no-hitter in recent Astros history, considering how poor the pitching was looking throughout the first two months. First of all, Imai was the starting pitcher for the Astros in this game, who entered with an 8.31 ERA.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Imai Has Turned a Corner<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/04\/14\/can-tatsuya-imai-become-next-yoshinobu-yamamoto\/\" target=\"_self\">Imai has struggled mightily<\/a> in the first few starts of his MLB career and had to adjust to the new culture, among other issues, such as the mound and the different kind of baseball. It wasn\u2019t looking great in the first inning. A no-hitter was definitely not on the minds of anyone at all. Imai started his outing with two walks followed by a double play. He then walked a third batter, but somehow got out of the inning.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Imai was great the rest of the way. He did get some help on defense from his teammates, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/05\/22\/astros-roster-moves-may-2026\/\" target=\"_self\"><\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/p\/penaje02.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jeremy Pe<span>\u00f1<\/span>a<\/a> and <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=meyerja02,meyers003jak&amp;search=Jake+Meyers&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jake Meyers<\/a>, who both recently <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/05\/22\/astros-roster-moves-may-2026\/\" target=\"_self\">returned to the active roster<\/a>. Both made some special plays to prevent hits. Either way, Imai allowed only one man on base the rest of the five innings. It was six innings of no-hit ball and the longest outing of Imai\u2019s career. He threw 97 pitches, with 57 of them for strikes, and struck out two.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Santa Magic in May For the Astros No-Hitter<\/h2>\n<p>Okert has been reliable all year and, after a lead-off walk, got all three batters out. The fate of the no-hitter then shifted to Santa, a 23-year-old native of the Dominican Republic who was just called up from Triple-A Sugar Land four days prior.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\"> <\/span>This was his first opportunity, and it wasn\u2019t too big for the rookie. Santa\u2019s sweeper and slider all had excellent movement. He threw 24 total pitches through two innings, and 16 of them were for strikes.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Santa was impressive at Triple-A Sugar Land and posted a 1.42 ERA in 19 innings, along with 24 strikeouts and a 0.895 WHIP. This outing will do a world of good for his confidence, and his young arm could be a real difference maker for the Astros.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Astros No-Hitters in Special Moments<\/h2>\n<p>This was the Astros\u2019 first combined no-hitter since Game 4 of the 2022 World Series. That was just the second no-hitter in World Series history and the first combined no-hitter in the Fall Classic ever. It\u2019s special for catcher <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/v\/vazquch01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Christian V\u00e1zquez<\/a>, who\u2019s now caught both of those combined no-hitters. These are the two he\u2019s caught in his career, and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/03\/20\/how-christian-vasquez-signing-can-help-the-astros\/\" target=\"_self\">V\u00e1zquez has been a productive catcher<\/a> for the Astros.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The guys that got it done.<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ChaseTheFight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#ChaseTheFight<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/I0Mclk4QYM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/I0Mclk4QYM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Houston Astros (@astros) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/astros\/status\/2059102410371424678?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 26, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The last no-hitter the Astros threw before their last one was <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/blancro01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ronel Blanco<\/a>\u2019s effort on April 1, 2024. Santa was able to enter on Monday because the game was out of reach. The Astros had scored nine runs at that point, thanks to a five-spot in the fifth inning. It was a sac-fly from <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/a\/alvaryo01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Yordan Alvarez<\/a> in the first, followed by his 16th homer of the season in the second inning that got Houston out to a 2-0 lead.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Two more runs were scored in the fifth off a bunt and then a single. One of <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/05\/09\/christian-walkers-hot-start\/\" target=\"_self\">Houston&#8217;s hottest hitters, Christian Walker<\/a>, broke the game open with his second three-run homer in two days and fourth home run in the past three games. A couple of errors by the Rangers allowed <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=allenni02,allen-006nic,allenni01&amp;search=Nick+Allen&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nick Allen<\/a> to drive in two more.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">Main Photo Credit: <\/span>\u00a9 Jerome Miron-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Houston Astros are the no-hitter kings of baseball. Just when it was least expected, the Astros threw their 18th no-hitter in franchise history in a 9-0 win over the Texas Rangers on Monday night at Globe Life Field.\u00a0 The pitching staff that was considered the worst in baseball not too long ago just threw [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5612,"featured_media":122806,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4454,1071,35],"tags":[29558,1170,2517,5107,5332,1379,28503,28441,29149,2725],"class_list":["post-122792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-baseball-history","category-mlb","category-news","tag-alimber-santa","tag-christian-vazquez","tag-christian-walker","tag-jake-meyers","tag-jeremy-pena","tag-nick-allen","tag-ronel-blanco","tag-steven-okert","tag-tatsuya-imai","tag-yordan-alvarez"],"modified_by":"Lewis Masella, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5612"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122792"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":122807,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122792\/revisions\/122807"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}