Framber Valdez caps off great day for Astros with no-hitter

Tuesday ended up being a pretty special day for the Houston Astros.

After re-acquiring Justin Verlander in a blockbuster trade to strengthen their World Series chances, Framber Valdez pitched a no-hitter for the team in a 2-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians.

It is the third no-hitter of the 2023 MLB season, and it was an absolute gem from Valdez.

He not only held the Guardians without a hit, but he walked just one batter, struck out seven and completed the game on only 93 pitches. He threw 65 of them for strikes.

Valdez also became the first left-handed pitcher to ever throw a no-hitter for the Astros, while it was caught by Martin Maldonado. The latter point is important because it is the third no-hitter that Maldonado has caught in his career, putting him just one shy of the major league record for most no-hitters caught. 

While that performance capped off a great day for the Astros, it had the exact opposite impact for the Guardians.

Cleveland, who entered the day just a game out of first place in a wide-open American League Central, not only did not add any players to help them in their push, they also traded Josh Bell to the Miami Marlins, further weakening what is already one of the worst lineups in baseball.

The Guardians rank 24th in Major League Baseball in team OPS and runs scored. 

Verlander's return will rightfully get a lot of attention in Houston, but Valdez is one heck of a pitcher himself, and he offered another reminder of that on Tuesday. He has been one of the best starters in the league for the past five years and leads a dominant rotation in Houston.