Astros ace Framber Valdez secured a place in MLB’s history books on Tuesday night, tossing the 321st no-hitter in league history.
Valdez faced just 27 batters in an eventual 2-0 win for Houston. The only baserunner he allowed was Oscar Gonzalez, who he walked in the fifth inning, but a double play ensured that he still faced the minimum amount of batters possible in a no-hitter.
It was just the third total no-hitter of the 2023 MLB season and the second individual no-no. Yankees pitcher Domingo German tossed a perfect game on June 28, while the Tigers’ trio of Matt Manning, Jason Foley and Alex Lange threw a combined no-hitter on July 8.
Here’s what to know about Valdez’s special night:
MORE: How many MLB no-hitters have there been in 2023?
Framber Valdez no-hitter
Valdez began the night by retiring Cleveland’s first 12 batters, including six strikeouts, to stay perfect entering the top of the fifth.
He then walked Oscar Gonzalez, breaking up his bid for a perfect game. Two batters later, Will Brennan grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Astros leading 2-0.
Valdez made it look easy down the stretch, retiring the side in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to move within three outs of history.
In the ninth, he faced the bottom of Cleveland’s lineup: Gabriel Arias, Myles Straw and Cam Gallagher. Arias led off and grounded out to second on a full count. Straw then got ahead to a 2-0 count, but lined out to center field on a 94 mph sinker.
Valdez held his nerve against the final batter, getting ahead 0-2 on Gallagher. A weak line drive on the third pitch was snatched out of the air by Jeremy Pena, clinching the no-hitter.
Framber Valdez is the first lefty in @Astros history to throw a no-hitter. pic.twitter.com/8uspLTGXS0
— MLB (@MLB) August 2, 2023
It was the 29-year-old’s first career no-no, and the 16th in Astros franchise history. It was also the first time a left-hander has tossed a no-hitter for Houston.
The Astros haven’t had an individual no-hitter since Justin Verlander did it against the Blue Jays in 2019. Coincidentally, Verlander was traded back to Houston by the Mets just hours before first pitch on Tuesday night.
Valdez finished the night with seven strikeouts and just 93 pitches — the fourth-fewest ever thrown in a no-hitter behind Darryl Kile (83), David Cone (88) and Jim Bunning (89).
MLB no-hitters in 2023
Only two other MLB no-hitters have been thrown in 2023.
The first came on June 28, when Yankees right-hander Domingo German tossed just the 24th perfect game in league history against the Athletics. It came as something of a shock, considering German allowed ten runs — including four home runs — in his last start before the perfect game. He threw 99 pitches, striking out nine batters.
The latest was on July 8, when Detroit’s Matt Manning, Jason Foley and Alex Lange threw for the 20th combined no-hitter in a game against the Blue Jays. Manning got the start and handled the first 6 2/3 innings before Foley came in to relieve him. Foley went 1 1/3 innings before Lange entered the game in the ninth, closing it out for one of the rarest achievements in all of baseball.
How many no-hitters have there been in MLB history?
Valdez’s no-hitter on Tuesday night was the 321st in MLB history.
The first came way back in 1876, when George Bradley of the St. Louis Brown Stockings blanked the Hartford Dark Blues. As an article detailing the momentous achievement in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat said, “for the first time in the annals of the League, nine innings were played without a single base hit being placed to the credit of one of the teams.”
