Astros' Javier, two relievers hold Yankees without a hit
Cristian Javier, Héctor Neris and Ryan Pressly combined on the first nohitter against the New York Yankees in 19 years, shutting down the best team in baseball and pitching the visiting Houston Astros to a 3-0 victory on Saturday.
Javier (5-3), a 25-yearold right-hander without a complete game in 84 professional starts, was clearly tired when manager Dusty Baker brought in a reliever to start the eighth. Javier set career highs for strikeouts (13) and pitches (115), and he matched his longest start with seven innings.
Pressly retired three straight batters in the ninth for his 15th save in 18 chances. After Giancarlo Stanton hit into a game-ending groundout, the Astros walked onto the field and gathered near the mound for a brief celebration.
“To do it in New York, it's the best feeling in the world,” Pressly said.
Rookie J.J. Matijevic gave Javier a lead in the seventh when he hit his second big league homer, driving a fastball from Gerrit Cole (62) into the right-field second deck. Jose Altuve homered into the left-field second deck in the eighth against Michael King, and pinchhitter Yuli Gurriel added an RBI single off Lucas Luetge in the ninth.
In a matchup of the teams with the top two records in the American League, New York didn't come close to a hit before a silenced crowd of 45,076. The major league-best Yankees lost consecutive games for the first time since May 28-29 against Tampa Bay, getting their only runners on three walks and an error.
“I feel really happy, really proud right now for this moment that God has given me,” Javier said via interpreter.
He walked Josh Donaldson on a full-count fastball with two outs in the first, then retired 17 in a row until Donaldson reached when third baseman Alex Bregman threw past first for an error on a one-out grounder in the seventh. Stanton then took a called third strike and Gleyber Torres struck out swinging.
Neris walked two in the eighth, then retired Joey Gallo on a flyout to right field and got Aaron Judge to ground into an inningending forceout.
“I said, `I have to get it for my team, I have to get it for Javy,'” Neris said.
The no-hitter was the third in the major leagues this year after five New York Mets combined against Philadelphia on April 29 and Reid Detmers of the Angels accomplished the feat against Tampa Bay on May 10.
Houston's no-hitter was its 14th, the first since Justin Verlander against Toronto on Sept. 1, 2019.
New York was no-hit for just the eighth time. Houston had been the previous team to do it, across the street at the old stadium on June 11, 2003. Roy Oswalt strained his right groin after his second pitch of the second inning, and Pete Munro (2 2/3 innings), Kirk Saarloos (1 1/3), Brad Lidge (two), Octavio Dotel (one) and Billy Wagner (one) followed in an 8-0 win.
Logan Webb pitched six innings of two-hit ball and San Francisco backed its ace with four home runs in a home victory over Cincinnati.
Evan Longoria, Thairo Estrada, Joc Pederson and Wilmer Flores homered for the Giants, who snapped a three-game skid.
The NL-worst Reds have lost eight of their last nine.
Webb (7-2) allowed an unearned run, struck out six and walked two. The Giants have won 22 of his 28 career home starts.
Pete Alonso hit two leadoff homers, including a go-ahead shot in the eighth, and New York won at Miami.
Alonso's home run over the left-center field wall against Miami reliever Jimmy Yacabonis (0-1) snapped a 3-3 tie. It was Alonso's NL-leading 22nd homer of the season.
Mets starter Chris Bassitt pitched seven strong innings. Bassitt (6-5) allowed three runs and six hits while striking out five.
Iván Herrera hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth for his first career RBI and host St. Louis beat Chicago.
Cardinals reliever Ryan Helsley (3-0) pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 0.31.
Corbin Burnes pitched into the eighth inning, Andrew McCutchen and Mike Brosseau homered, and Milwaukee beat visiting Toronto.
Burnes (6-4) allowed home runs to Matt Chapman and Bo Bichette and an RBI groundout by Cavan Biggio. He struck nine and walked two, then turned over a 5-3 lead with runners at first and second and two outs in the eighth to Devin Williams, who struck out Alejandro Kirk.
Chapman doubled with two outs and scored on a base hit by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. off Josh Hader, but the closer escaped with his 22nd save when Gabriel Moreno grounded out to first.
Blue Jays starter Yusei Kikuchi (2-4) allowed five runs, two earned, on six hits with five strikeouts in two-plus innings.