Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez was so close, yet so far.
Valdez was one out away from a no-hitter Tuesday against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
The two-time All-Star had a chance for the final out against outfielder Josh Smith but ended up walking him. Unfortunately for Valdez, two-time World Series MVP Corey Seager was waiting on deck.
Seager smashed the first pitch he saw, an 85-mph meatball right down the middle, into the right field seats to cut the lead to 4-2. Valdez ended up just a pitch short of recording the Astros’ 18th no-hitter in franchise history.
Corey Seager hits a 2-run homer to break up Framber Valdez's no-hit bid with 2 outs in the 9th! pic.twitter.com/aOJzl3AXMN
— MLB (@MLB) August 7, 2024
Despite not allowing a hit through 8.2 innings pitched, Valdez wasn’t even able to keep his shutout.
Seager has been no stranger to getting big hits in key moments throughout his career. His latest clutch home run just so happened to have come at Valdez’s expense.
But the home run didn’t end up altering the final result. Astros closer Josh Hader came in to replace Valdez and got the last out for a bittersweet 4-2 Astros win.
