Last night, the Houston Astros joined rarefied air by throwing a combined no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4 of the World Series. Thanks to a dazzling performance by starter Cristian Javier, the Astros were able to stifle a Phillies lineup that scored seven runs in the previous game.
“WE HAVE NO HIT THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES IN THE #WORLDSERIES. SAID.” – Houston Astros
Javier delivered the best outing from any starter in the World Series so far. The 25-year-old Dominican-born pitcher threw six hitless innings, while recording nine strikeouts.
He was flawless, aside from issuing walks to Bryce Harper and Brandon Marsh. As he continued to mow down batter after batter, Javier took the life out of the home crowd at Citizens Bank Park.
In the 118-year World Series history, last night’s record was only the second instance. The only other came from Don Larsen when he threw a perfect game in 1958. It also now holds the distinction as being the only combined no-hitter in World Series history, so if you watched the game last night, you witnessed history.
Including the two mentioned above, there has only been one other no-hitter in the history of the MLB postseason. The only other came from legendary pitcher Roy Halladay, who dominated the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of the 2010 NLDS.
“Dusty Baker was the manager of the 2010 Cincinnati Reds, who were on the receiving end of Roy Halladay’s no-hitter in the NLDS. Baker has now been a part of 2 of the 3 no-hitters in MLB postseason history.” – ESPN Stats & Info
While there have only been three such instances in postseason history, as of last night, there have been 318 no-hitters officially recognized by the MLB. The first one belonged to Joe Borden in 1875 for the Philadelphia White Stockings.
Cristian Javier’s road to the World Series no-hitter
Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Javier signed with the Houston Astros as an international free agent in 2015. He spent his first few seasons in the Astros’ farm system before making his Major League debut in 2020.
While he initially started as a bullpen arm, Javier continued to make his case for a spot in the rotation. After putting in the work, Javier became a full-time starter in 2022, posting the best season of his career. He finished the 2022 season with a record of 11-9 in 148.2 innings pitched, while posting a 2.54 ERA with a career-high 194 strikeouts.
“Cristian Javier, 80mph Slider and 95mph Elevated Fastball, Overlay” – Rob Friedman
Justin Verlander and Noah Syndergaard are expected to start Game 5, and it remains to be seen if more history will be made on Thursday night.
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