Fansided

3 stats that define the Astros’ World Series no-hitter

By David Salituro

Nov 2, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; (L-R) Houston Astros relief pitcher Rafael Montero (47) relief pitcher Bryan Abreu (52) starting pitcher Cristian Javier (53) catcher Christian Vazquez (9) and relief pitcher Ryan Pressly (55) pose for a photo after throwing a combined no-hitter in a victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in game four of the 2022 World Series at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 2, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; (L-R) Houston Astros relief pitcher Rafael Montero (47) relief pitcher Bryan Abreu (52) starting pitcher Cristian Javier (53) catcher Christian Vazquez (9) and relief pitcher Ryan Pressly (55) pose for a photo after throwing a combined no-hitter in a victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in game four of the 2022 World Series at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next

Cristian Javier led an Astros pitching staff that tossed the second no-hitter in World Series history on Wednesday, evening up the series against the Phillies 2-2

The Philadelphia Phillies entered Game 4 of the 2022 World Series with all the momentum, the heart of an entire city behind them, and their ace, Aaron Nola on the mound. The Houston Astros, though, had Cristian Javier, and he went out and spun a gem for the ages.

What began as a party in Philadelphia soon turned into a somber night as the Phillies, who managed five home runs in Game 3, couldn’t even get a hit off Javier and three relievers in Game 4.

Javier went six no-hit innings before Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero, and Ryan Pressly finished off the second no-hitter in World Series history, and first since Don Larsen’s perfect game in 1956.

The Astros’ 5-0 win on Wednesday not only silenced the raucous crowd at Citizens Bank Park, it evened the series at two games apiece and guaranteed there will be another game in Houston. They came to celebrate the Phillies taking another step toward the franchise’s first title since 2008. Instead, they got to witness another bit of history.

Here are three stats that tell the story of a night to remember.

Stats that defined Astros no-hitter: 1. Six consecutive starts

Simple physics shows that a human pitcher can’t make a baseball rise. Any upward movement of a pitch is nothing more than an optical illusion, a batter perceiving a ball dropping less than it normally would.

Javier put on quite a magic show for the Phillies and their 45,693 screaming fans at Citizens Bank Park. And he did it with a fastball that, while not lighting up the radar gun, can fool even a lineup like the Phillies time and time again.

Javier threw 70 fastballs in Game 4. The Phillies couldn’t hit any of them. But no one has been able to hit Javier’s fastball in a long while. He now has six straight starts, going back to the regular season, of at least five innings giving up no more than two hits and no runs. No other pitcher in history has ever had more than three such starts in a row.

Javier has given up seven hits over his last 34.1 innings as a starter, including only one extra-base hit and no runs. He’s the first ever to give up that few hits over a six-start span. His historic gem against the Phillies was just the culmination of a long run of dominance for the Astros right-hander.

It’s impossible to predict when a no-hitter is going to happen, but Javier did have someone who believed he was capable of it. His parents told him the night before he was going to throw a no-hitter. “We’re going to stay positive, and with God helping us we could do it,” Javier told Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal on what he told his parents about their bold prediction.

His “rising” fastball, and his ability to create a flat trajectory with his arm angle, left the Phillies swinging at smoke all night.

Home/Houston Astros