Astros starter Framber Valdez was one out away from completing a no-hitter on Tuesday night when every pitcher’s worst nightmare came true.
Valdez threw an 85 mph slider that Rangers shortstop Corey Seager got a hold of, sending the pitch deep into the right field stands at Globe Life Field and ending Valdez’s bid for a no-no in heartbreaking fashion.
Closer Josh Hader took over for Valdez to finish out the game — the lefty walked Marcus Semien and then got Josh Jung to fly out to close the contest — but Valdez tried to have a positive attitude after the game.
“I try to always go out there trying to have fun,” Valdez told reporters through an interpreter, per ESPN. “Obviously, sometimes I have got to get serious. Went out there and do what I try to do every single time, try and throw strikes on all my pitches and just try to help the team win.”
Valdez had a perfect game come to an end after five innings when Jonah Heim reached first in the sixth inning on a throwing error by third baseman Alex Bregman.
The lefty threw 93 pitches through eight innings and had 61 strikes.
He finished the game allowing one hit and two runs while striking out five batters and walking three.
The ninth-inning home run was the second time Seager had broken up a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth inning.
The last instance came when he was a member of the Dodgers when he singled against Giants lefty Matt Moore in 2016.
Had the no-no stayed intact Tuesday, it would have been Valdez’s second no-hitter in less than a year after he threw one in a 2-0 win over the Guardians on Aug. 1, 2023.
The two-time All-Star is in the middle of another impressive season for the Astros and entered Tuesday’s game with a 3.56 ERA and 1.246 WHIP through 116 ⅓ innings pitched.