Three Astros pitchers combine to throw first MLB no-hitter since 2024

Major League Baseball’s no-hitter drought has come to an end.

Three Houston Astros pitchers combined to no-hit the Texas Rangers on Monday, marking the first time since the Cubs’ combo effort on Sept. 4, 2024, that a big-league team has completed the feat.

Tatsuya Imai got things started with six hitless innings of his own before handing the ball to Steven Okert and Alimber Santa, who finished the job in a 9-0 Houston win.

Santa was making his MLB debut.

Okert took over to start the seventh Monday night after Imai got 16 outs over the last 16 batters he faced. Imai walked three of his first four batters but benefited from a double play in the first inning before settling into a groove.

Imai’s fourth walk of the game was to Brandon Nimmo leading off the fourth, but Ezequiel Duran then grounded into a double play.

Imai threw 57 of his 97 pitches for strikes. He struck out two.

It is the 327th no-hitter in MLB history and the 18th thrown by the Astros.

The last Astros pitcher to do so was Ronel Blanco on April 1, 2024, against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The previous pitcher to throw a complete-game no-hitter was Blake Snell for the San Francisco Giants against Cincinnati on Aug. 2, 2024.

Imai’s fourth walk of the game was to Brandon Nimmo leading off the fourth, but Ezequiel Duran then grounded into a double play.

Imai threw 57 of his 97 pitches for strikes. He struck out two.

The 28-year-old Imai is in his first big league season after coming over from Japan. He was 1-2 with an 8.31 ERA in his first five starts for the Astros.

Imai joined the Astros in January after agreeing to a $54 million, three-year contract. He was a three-time All-Star during eight seasons in Japan, and went 10-5 with a 1.92 ERA last season for the Pacific League’s Seibu Lions, striking out 178 in 163 2/3 innings.

Rangers leadoff hitter Joc Pederson was retired on a nifty play in the third when shortstop Jeremy Peña made a backhand stop and a twisting throw to first for the out. Justin Foscue and Danny Jansen had deep flyouts in the Texas fifth.

Okert walked Nimmo leading off the seventh before retiring the next three batters.

— with files from the Associated Press