Astros' combined no-hitter: All the reaction, images from historic night
Baseball history was made Thursday night in Philadelphia.
Houston Astros right-hander Cristian Javier and three relievers combined for only the second no-hitter in World Series history and just the third no-no in an MLB postseason game.
The dominant pitching performance silenced Philadelphia's red-hot bats, as Houston cruised to a 5-0 victory and evened the series at 2-2. A pivotal Game 5 is set for Thursday night (8:03 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App).
Javier struck out nine and walked just two in six innings of work before giving way to Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero and Ryan Pressly, who each threw a hitless inning.
The four Astros pitchers combined to strike out 14 Phillies and allowed just three total base-runners.
Javier has now allowed just one run in his last 35 2/3 innings dating back to Sept. 14 (0.25 ERA). Houston has won eight straight games with the 25-year-old starter on the mound.
Cristian Javier, center (holding baseball), celebrates the no-hitter with, from left, Rafael Montero, Bryan Abreu, catcher Christian Vázquez (No. 9) and Ryan Pressly (No. 55). (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
The scoreboard at Citizens Bank Park commemorates just the second no-hitter in World Series history. (Photo by Steve Boyle/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
The only other no-hitter in the World Series was Don Larsen's perfect game for the Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956.
Javier was pulled after throwing 97 pitches (63 for strikes) in his six hitless innings.
The combined no-hitter was the 19th in major-league history. One of those was by the Astros and Javier earlier this season, coming June 25 at Yankee Stadium.
The Astros have thrown four combined no-hitters in their history (an MLB franchise record). The Phillies have been no-hit 21 times, the most in MLB history.
Philadelphia came in to Wednesday's game with a perfect 6-0 record at home in the 2022 playoffs and coming off a five-homer barrage in a 7-0 victory in Game 3. But Houston's pitchers silenced the raucous Philly crowd and cooled the Phillies' hot lineup.
Houston's Yuli Gurriel reacts after catching the final out of the combined no-hitter. (Photo by Brian Garfinkel/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
The Astros celebrate making history and squaring the World Series at 2-2, with Game 5 on Thursday night. (Photo by Brian Garfinkel/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Ryan Pressly, left, is congratulated by Héctor Neris after closing out the game. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)