It took three pitchers, 150 pitches and 15 strikeouts, but the Houston Astros combined for a no-hits against the Yankees Saturday at Yankee Stadium, defeating the best baseball team 3-0.
Cristian Javier started things for Houston, dominating the Yankees for seven innings. He put up 13 batters and his only imperfections were a walk in the first inning and a batter who reached first base by an error in the seventh. But with Javier at 115 pitches, Astros coach Dusty Baker threw his header in favor of right-hander Hector Neris.
Neris and Ryan Pressly finished the job, throwing two more innings without hits while allowing two base runners to walk. The scene was reminiscent of the last no-hit shot against the Yankees, in which six Astros pitchers worked together to achieve the feat on June 11, 2003. That game was also at Yankee Stadium.
“Doing it in New York is the best feeling in the world,” Pressly told reporters shortly after the game.
The Astros’ two combined no-hits, separated by just over 19 years, are the only no-hits against the Yankees since Hoyt Wilhelm released one as a member of the Baltimore Orioles on September 20, 1958. the Yankees have only been without hits seven times in 120 seasons despite having played more than 18,500 games.
Saturday’s effort was the third no-hits in the major leagues this season; previously, the Mets had five combined pitchers for one on April 29 and Reid Detmers of the Angels threw one himself on May 10.
Javier, 25, is off to a strong start to his third season. With Saturday’s win he improved to 5-3 and reduced his winning career average to 2.73. Despite not being able to finish Saturday without hits, he set the highs of his career in throws and strikeouts, while tying his career in throws.
However, the effort clearly wore him down as he was exhausted when the seventh inning was over.
“I feel very happy, very proud right now for this moment God has given me,” Javier told reporters through an interpreter.
Neris, 33, was the first arm to come out of the bullpen and allowed a couple of walks. But he ended his entry strongly by making Aaron Judge, one of the top contenders for this year’s most valuable AL player award, climb short.
Pressly, 33, who had allowed a three-run homer tied on Aaron Hicks in a 7-6 loss Thursday, was electric in the ninth. He put up the first two batters he faced – Anthony Rizzo and Josh Donaldson – and got Giancarlo Stanton to come in third to finish the game.
Facing Gerrit Cole, who was almost as dominant as Javier, Houston didn’t score until the seventh inning, when JJ Matijevic, a rookie first baseman, hit his second home run in the League. Jose Altuve homered in the eighth against Michael King, and Yuli Gurriel, who entered the game as Matijevic’s hitter, added a single Lucas Luetge scorer in the ninth.
As a result, Cole ended up taking the defeat despite allowing only four hits and one run in seven innings. He put eight.