Sanchez, Astros throw combined no-hitter against Mariners
HOUSTON >> Aaron Sanchez looked like a reinvented pitcher in his Houston debut, throwing six stellar innings to start the Astros on a combined no-hitter Saturday night in their 9-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
Sanchez was an All-Star in 2016 and led the American League in ERA, but he’s struggled badly this season and had lost 13 straight decisions to lead the majors with 14 losses. Three days after he was acquired from Toronto at the trade deadline, the 27-year-old right-hander teamed with Will Harris, Joe Biagini and Chris Devenski to shut down Seattle.
“Just trying to have a good first impression,” Sanchez said.
It was the second time in less than a month the lastplace Mariners were no-hit by multiple pitchers. The Los Angeles Angels used two pitchers in a combined no-hitter July 12 against Seattle on a night when they honored late left-hander Tyler Skaggs by all wearing his No. 45 in their first home game since his death.
After throwing 92 pitches, Sanchez (4-14) was replaced by Harris to start the seventh.
Sanchez kept the Mariners off balance with a steady stream of fastballs in the lowto-mid 90s (mph) coupled with slow curveballs that often froze batters for strikes as he worked with veteran catcher Martin Maldonado, picked up by Houston in a trade with the Chicago Cubs earlier in the week.
Harris and Joe Biagini, also obtained from the Blue Jays in the same deal that netted Sanchez, each worked one inning before Devenski tossed a perfect ninth. He retired AllStar slugger Daniel Vogelbach on a routine fly for the final out, setting off an Astros celebration on the field after the club’s 12th no-hitter.
Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, who threw one of his record seven no-hitters for Houston, was at Minute Maid Park to see this one.
“This is awesome,” Sanchez said, adding: “You can’t write it up any better than this.”
Sanchez struck out six, walked two and hit a batter with a pitch in his first victory since April 27 for Toronto. He had been winless in 17 consecutive starts. YANKEES 9, RED SOX 2 >> DJ LeMahieu homered twice off an enraged Chris Sale, who screamed and pointed at the plate umpire when he was removed during a seven-run fourth inning, and New York beat the Red Sox in a doubleheader opener that extended Boston’s longest losing streak since 2015 to six games.
Sale was angry with Mike Esterbrook’s strike zone throughout his brief outing and tied his career high by allowing eight earned runs in 3 2/3 innings.
CUBS 4, BREWERS 1 >> Cole Hamels pitched five shutout innings after spending five weeks on the injured list, Albert Almora Jr. hit a tiebreaking home run and Chicago beat Milwaukee.