Astros’ Javier, bullpen combine to no-hit Yanks
NEW YORK » Cristian Javier kept sending the New York Yankees back to their dugout in short order, taming his often inconsistent control and thwarting the team with baseball’s best record, most runs and preeminent power.
“We call him ‘The Reptile,’ because he doesn’t show any emotion. It doesn’t matter how big the stage,” Houston catcher Martín Maldonado would later say.
The Astros’ cold-blooded starter combined with Héctor Neris and Ryan Pressly on the first no-hitter against the Yankees in 19 years, pitching Houston to an improbable 3-0 victory Saturday. It’s the first time New York has been no-hit since six Astros teamed up for one at the old stadium on June 11, 2003.
New York entered 52-19, at .732 the best winning percentage ever for a team held hitless at least 50 games into a season. The previous high was Oakland’s .691 against Texas on June 11, 1990, when the Athletics were felled by
Nolan Ryan’s sixth no-hitter.
“The cold, hard truth is we got outpitched and outplayed,” Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole said. “Magical day for them.”
Javier (5-3), a 25-year-old right-hander without a complete game in 84 professional starts, was in the rotation because Jake Odorizzi is hurt. He set career highs for strikeouts (13) and pitches (115) while walking one, and he matched his longest start with seven innings. Javier lowered his ERA to 2.73.
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 took a called third strike and Gleyber Torres struck out swinging.
By the sixth, the Astros adopted the superstitious dugout custom for a no-hit bid.
“The guys didn’t come near me, and I didn’t go near them,” Javier said through a translator.
Neris walked two in the eighth, retired Joey Gallo on a flyout to the right-field warning track and got Aaron Judge to ground into an inning-ending forceout.
Pressly struck out Anthony Rizzo and Donaldson in the ninth, then retired Giancarlo Stanton on a game-ending groundout to third that sparked groans in the crowd of 45,076 on the sunny summer afternoon. It was his first outing since giving up a tying three-run homer to Aaron Hicks in a
7-6 loss Thursday night,
METS 5, MARLINS 3 » Pete Alonso hit two leadoff homers, including a go-ahead shot in the eighth inning, and New York beat Miami.
BREWERS 5, BLUE JAYS 4 » Corbin Burnes pitched into the eighth inning, Andrew McCutchen and Mike Brosseau homered, and Milwaukee beat Toronto.
CARDINALS 5, CUBS 3 » Iván Herrera hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning for his first career RBI and St. Louis beat Chicago.
RAYS 6, PIRATES 5 » Isaac Paredes hit a solo homer in the eighth inning and a tworun single with two outs in the ninth, sending Tampa Bay to a victory over Pittsburgh.
ORIOLES 6, WHITE SOX 2 » Jorge Mateo homered and doubled to lead give Baltimore its first four-game winning streak this season.