The defending World Series champion Houston Astros had a fun night on Tuesday as Framber Valdez took the mound against the Cleveland Guardians.
True to form, Valdez pitched a gem, but it wasn’t your average dominant start.
Valdez threw a no-hitter against the Guardians and led the Astros to a 2-0 win.
Valdez became the first left-hander in Astros history to throw a no-hitter, making some important history.
However, there was more to the story than just that.
Valdez threw just 93 pitches, which is the third-fewest in a no-hitter since pitch counts were first tracked.
Sarah Langs of MLB.com pointed out this interesting fact on Twitter.
Framber Valdez’s 93 pitches are the 3rd-fewest in a no-hitter since pitch counts have been tracked (1988), behind only:
9/8/93 Darryl Kile: 83
7/18/99 David Cone: 88, perfect game https://t.co/rWH7ne0CED— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) August 2, 2023
When a pitcher throws a complete-game shutout and does so with fewer than 100 pitches, it is referred to as a “Maddux.”
Valdez didn’t just accomplish a no-hitter.
He also threw a Maddux in the process.
Back on September 8, 1993, Darryl Kile, who was a member of the Astros at the time, needed just 83 pitches to complete his no-hitter.
Six years later, on July 18, David Cone threw his perfect game for the New York Yankees.
In that start, he needed only 88 pitches.
So, while Valdez is not the first to accomplish this feat, he has joined some elite historic company thanks to his dominant start against the Guardians.
The left-hander allowed just one batter to reach base.
He walked one while striking out seven as the Astros defeated Cleveland.
NEXT: MLB Analyst Correctly Predicted Framber Valdez's No-Hitter
