Imai leads historic combined no-hitter for the Astros along with Okert and Dominican Alimber Santa

Arlington, Texas. The Houston Astros wrote a new page in their history on Monday night by completing the franchise’s 18th no-hitter, after defeating the Texas Rangers 9-0 at Globe Life Field during Memorial Day.

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Japanese Tatsuya Imai led the historic performance by pitching six innings without allowing any hits, in the best showing of his short career in the Major Leagues. The right-hander combined with reliever Steven Okert and Dominican Alimber Santa to complete the first no-hitter in the Majors since September 2024. Puerto Rican manager Joe Espada praised the performance of his pitching staff and highlighted Imai’s ability to react after a complicated start to the game. “After the first inning, no one would have imagined that result, but Imai kept competing and attacking the zone. It was six solid innings and the rest is history,” Espada said after the game. Imai, who came to Houston this season from Japanese baseball, showed dominance after issuing walks to the first two batters of the game. He then retired 15 of the last 17 opponents he faced and had solid defensive support, including a spectacular play by Dominican shortstop Jeremy Peña. After a scoreless seventh inning by Okert, Espada handed the ball to Alimber Santa for the last two innings. The Dominican reliever, just 23 years old, responded with six outs in his debut in the Major Leagues and sealed the historic feat by striking out Brandon Nimmo for the last out of the game. “I never imagined entering to finish a game without a hit or a run,” declared Santa, who kept the ball from the last pitch as a souvenir of an unforgettable night. The combined no-hitter represents the fifth in Astros history and the first since Game 4 of the 2022 World Series. In addition, it makes Santa only the second player in MLB history to participate in a no-hitter during his Major League debut. On the offensive, Houston had a home run from Cuban Yordan Álvarez and another three-run homer from Christian Walker, who continues to be hot with the bat. With the victory, the Astros extended their streak to four consecutive wins and improved their record to 5-2 during the current 10-game road trip.