The Huston Astors-led by Cristian Javier is the first pitcher since 1969 to carry a no-hit bid thru 6 IP in a World Series game. The Astors completed the first combined no-hitter in postseason history on Wednesday night and beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-0 in Game 4 of the World Series.
The win tied the series at two games apiece, and Javier pitched the second no-hitter in World Series history. The only previous no-hitter in the World Series was a perfect game by former New York Yankees’ right-hander Don Larsen against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956.
The 25-year-old Aston starter played a vital role against the Yankees on June 25, making Javier the first pitcher to start multiple combined no-hitters within a career. On that Saturday afternoon, Javier threw 115 pitches and recorded 21 outs.
Almost four months later, the preternaturally calm Christian Javier fired six no-hit innings to help Houston crush the Philadelphia crowd. He scored 18 outs, rebounded from a rough Game 3, struck out nine, and walked two. After 97 pitches, manager Dusty Bread shook his hand and turned to the bullpen.
“I tried to stay attacking the strike zone, tried to pitch as deep as possible into the game,” Javier said in his postgame, on-field interview through a translator. “And we were able to get a good result today.”
On Wednesday, Bryan Abreau, Rafael Montero, and Ryan Pressly each pitched an inning to close it out. Brayn Abreau took over the ball in the seventh innings and struck out the side. Taking the ball in the eighth, Rafael Montero retired all three batters. Lastly, Jean Segura hit directly at Astor’s right fielder Kyle Tucker. The Astor’s closer Ryan Pressly finished it off in the ninth overall.
The Astros struck out 14 Phillies and retired 18 in a row between walks in the third and ninth innings.
Christian Javier, one of the most undervalued starting pitchers, rode his delusive fastball to strike out nine batters and issued just two walks through the first six innings. Toward the beginning of the fourth, he started a stretch of five sequential strikeouts. In the sixth, the pitcher with the most reduced groundball rate in the majors during the standard season profited from three progressive groundouts..
Astor’s third baseman Alex Bregman said about Javier after the game ,”I mean, it’s crazy.”
“We grew up watching the World Series. We know the baseball’s been going on for a long, long time. So to be a part of, just be a teammate on a team that did that and what Javy and all the guys did is really special.”
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