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Ken Rosenthal declares Astros no-hitter ‘1 of most improbable in history’
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- Ken Rosenthal declares Astros no-hitter ‘1 of most improbable in history’
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With the Houston Astros dealing with injuries left and right, the team accomplished a magnificent effort during Monday night's 9-0 win over the Texas Rangers . As Astros pitcher Tatsuya Imai and other relievers combined for a no-hitter on Monday, this MLB insider would claim it as part of history.
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Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Rosenthal would say that the no-hitter with Imai and Houston relievers Alimber Santa and Steven Okert is "one of the most improbable no-hitters in baseball history."
The reason is dependent on context, as starting with Imai, people have been relatively disappointed in his output this season, recording a 6.17 ERA, which is the current ERA after the no-hitter. He even started Monday's outing walking three batters in the first inning, with the command looking awry, though pitching coach Josh Miller said he wasn't rattled.
"He's had an almost stoic presence," Miller said, via The Athletic. "I know it might look like he's rattled, throwing balls, but he's not. He's calm. He's trying to feel his way through it."
Astros' Tatsuya Imai felt "unbalanced" to start no-hitter bid
In the Astros' win, Imai would throw six scoreless and hitless innings, striking out two batters in 97 pitches, leading to a hitless seventh inning from the journeyman reliever in Okert, and finally, Santa in his 2026 debut, threw two hitless innings. It's the 18th no-hitter in the Houston franchise's history and the first one since three Chicago Cubs pitchers combined for one on Sept. 4, 2024.
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Imai would even say after the game that the goal was to "keep attacking the zone," though admitting that the first inning felt "unbalanced."
"That first inning, you'd have never thought that was going to be the outcome of the game," manager Joe Espada said. "But I tip my hat to Imai, he pitched and continued to compete. It wasn't pretty, but it was effective. We've got a great defense."
At any rate, it remains to be seen if this is the energy that Imai and the Astros as a whole need throughout the current season, as the team is now 24-31, putting them fourth in the AL Central.
