Corey Kluber's journey back from injuries came full circle with no-hitter in Texas

From the very first inning, Kluber was dotting corners, using all four of his pitches with effectiveness and efficiency. Subtract a four-pitch walk to third baseman Charlie Culberson in the third inning—"inexplicably" losing command of the zone, as manager Aaron Boone called it—and Kluber retired all 27 batters he faced. 

"What a performance. What can you say?" Boone said after the 2-0 win. "I'm just so happy for him. He's such a pro. And we're talking about a guy that's been an amazing pitcher in his career. He's got another defining and special moment."

Kluber struck out nine, getting a total of 13 whiffs on the night. Seven of those came on his patented curveball, a pitch that also netted 12 called strikes.

"It was really everything," catcher Kyle Higashioka said. "Two-seam, cutter, curveball. Curveball was really good tonight. That's probably the best I've seen it. He had the changeup going too, just mixing and being unpredictable and really executing really well. So it was great."

Kluber said after the game that it didn't hit him until around the sixth inning that he was flirting with history. He likened the ninth inning, however, to how he felt when he made his first postseason start with the Indians many years ago. 

You couldn't tell from his demeanor, though. As his nickname suggests, 'Klubot' robotically went about his business, handling that adrenaline by keeping the pressure on Texas' hitters through the final out. 

"It was a special night," Kluber said. "I've never been part of [a no-hitter], never witnessed one, let alone throw one. So it was just a lot of fun to be a part of."

Every no-hitter has a story behind it. For some, it's the sheer unlikelihood that an individual could pull off such a feat at this level. For others, it's a manifestation of an elite pitcher toying with big-league hitters for 27 outs. 

While Kluber's injuries over the past two seasons weren't necessarily a threat to his career, the right-hander did admit that throwing a no-hitter in Texas was particularly special with his recent injuries in mind.

He said it didn't hit him until Yankees backstop Robinson Chirinos—who caught all 18 pitches of Kluber's career in Texas—congratulated him after the game. 

"It was probably cool for me personally that it happened here," Kluber said. "I hadn't thought about it until after the game. Chirinos came up to me and said, 'congratulations, a lot better than the last time you were on the mound here.'"

Kluber may never be an ace again. Odds are he'll battle more injuries down the line. But just like Kluber did, you couldn't help but smile on Wednesday night, watching a pitcher etch his name into baseball's history books with a masterpiece in the same building that played host to the lowest low of his career less than a year ago. 

That alone makes Kluber's no-hitter even more special.