ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Houston pitcher Framber Valdez lost a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth inning when Texas slugger Corey Seager hit a two-run homer in the Astros’ 4-2 victory over the Rangers on Tuesday night.
Valdez was on the verge of his second no-hitter in just more than a year when Seager sent the first pitch he saw in the ninth, an 85 mph slider, into the stands in right field. It was Seager’s fifth homer in five games.
The 30-year-old left-hander cruised through eight innings but finally began to stumble in the ninth, walking Robbie Grossman before Ezequiel Duran grounded into the second Texas double play of the game.
Josh Smith kept the Rangers alive with another walk, setting up Seager’s 24th homer.
Valdez was immediately replaced by closer Josh Hader, who walked Marcus Semien before Josh Jung flied out to the base of the wall in right field to end the game.
Yordan Alvarez hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning that ended up being the difference. Jake Meyers’ drove in the first two Houston runs with a pair of RBI singles.
Valdez had a perfect game through five innings, but still faced the minimum of 18 batters through six.
The perfect game ended when Jonah Heim opened the sixth by reaching on third baseman Alex Bregman’s throwing error. Robbie Grossman then grounded into a double play before Ezequiel Duran was called out on strikes.
Bregman’s error came when he fielded a high chopper on the run and threw low to first baseman Jon Singleton, who couldn’t make the scoop to keep the perfect game intact.
Semien walked with two outs in the seventh to finally get a fourth batter to the plate in an inning for Texas, but Jung struck out on three pitches. It was Valdez’s fifth strikeout.
Valdez cruised through the eighth with routine flyouts from Wyatt Langford, Adolis García and Heim.
Valdez’s other no-hitter was a 2-0 victory over Cleveland on Aug. 1, 2023.
The two-time All-Star topped out at 96.9 mph on his fastball, but created plenty of soft contact with plenty of off-speed pitches.
Seager had one of the other hardest-hit outs, flying out to left fielder Alvarez on the warning track for the second out of the fourth inning.
Valdez entered the game 5-0 in his previous seven starts, all Houston victories. He was scratched from his other scheduled start against Texas this season after losing to the World Series champions twice in the AL Championship Series last fall.
Tyler Mahle made his first start for Texas, and first since April 2023 coming off Tommy John surgery. The right-hander allowed five hits and a run in five innings. He signed a $22 million, two-year contract in December with the Rangers knowing he would rehab most of the season.
UP NEXT
LHP Yusei Kikuchi (4-9, 4.67 ERA) is scheduled for the Astros in the series finale after tying a franchise record with eight consecutive strikeouts in his Houston debut, a 3-2 victory over Tampa Bay, following a trade with Toronto. Texas RHP José Ureña (3-6, 3.70) is set for his 27th appearance and eighth start.
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