Sunday’s 2-0 victory over the Blue Jays was no ordinary win for the Astros, who currently have the second best record in baseball just narrowly behind the Yankees. Astros ace Justin Verlander threw a gem of a no-hitter, allowing just a first-inning walk.
Verlander struck out 14 in his masterpiece, lowering his ERA to 2.56 as he only strengthened his case for the American League Cy Young Award going into the final month of the season. He has also posted dominant marks of 11.98 K/9 and 1.63 BB/9.
It was the third no-hitter Verlander has thrown in his career. The 36-year-old also no-hit the Brewers on June 12, 2007, and the Blue Jays on May 7, 2011. He has now no-hit the Blue Jays twice in his career, retiring rookie phenom Bo Bichette for the last out.
Currently in the lead for the Cy Young, Verlander is also building up a quite nice Hall of Fame resume. Not including his masterful performance on Sunday, he currently owns a massive 70.2 fWAR. Even at age 36, he is showing no signs of stopping anytime soon.
