Cristian Javier and the Houston Astros desperately needed to figure out how to keep Bryce Harper and the Phillies in the ballpark after being hammered the night before.
Would a no-hitter be sufficient?
The Astros defeated Philadelphia 5-0 on Wednesday night, evening the matchup at two games each, and Javier and Houston’s bullpen combined for only the second no-hitter in World Series history.
Ryan Pressly, the closer, stated, “You get slapped in the face yesterday and you want to come back today and make a statement.”
The only previous World Series no-hitter was Don Larsen’s perfect game in 1956 against the Brooklyn Dodgers for the New York Yankees.
In Game 4, Javier and three relievers were not flawless, but they were close.
Additionally, they had done this before:After six innings and 97 pitches this time, Javier, who started a combined no-hitter against the New York Yankees in June, was removed from the game.
The subsequent innings by Pressly, Rafael Montero, and Bryan Abreu all resulted in no runs for the first time in postseason play.This year’s championship will be decided this weekend at Minute Maid Park thanks to the Astros’ 14 strikeouts and 3 walks.
The four pitchers and catcher Christian Vázquez posed with the game ball in their hands near the visiting dugout shortly after J.T. Realmuto grounded out to end the game.When Philadelphia hit five home runs in a 7-0 victory in Game 3 to set a Series record, it was a picture no one could have imagined.
Vázquez said, “Man, that’s crazy.”It was exceptional.
The four pitchers and Vázquez likewise marked a ball made a beeline for the Corridor of Popularity.
Javier claimed that his parents had predicted that he would pitch a no-hitter on Tuesday night.The Dominican righty, who is 25 years old, said that his father, Cecilio Javier, had just arrived in the United States on Tuesday, and that this was the first time that Cecilio had seen the Dominican righty pitch.
He said through a translator, “I just came out holding onto God, trying to be positive, and trying to attack the strike zone.”I was able to accomplish that because of God.
Additionally at Citizens Bank Park in 2010, Roy Halladay pitched a no-hitter for the Phillies in the NL Division Series.Halladay’s triumph came against a Cincinnati team coached by Houston’s current skipper, Dusty Baker.
“Oh, yes, I was in this ballpark on the other side.Baker stated, “That’s the strange thing about life.”
