Tatsuya Imai, in only his sixth Major League Baseball game since arriving from Japan, joined two relief pitchers to throw a no-hitter in Houston’s 9-0 victory at Texas on Monday. The 28-year-old Japanese right-hander, who spent the past eight years with the Saitama Seibu Lions, struck out two batters and walked four in six hitless shutout innings for the Astros.
American left-handed reliever Steven Okert blanked the Rangers in the seventh inning and Alimber Santa, a Dominican right-hander making his MLB debut, tossed the final two hitless innings to complete the first no-hitter of the MLB campaign. It was the 18th no-hitter in Astros history and the first since Ronel Blanco baffled the Toronto Blue Jays in April, 2024.
Imai walked the first two batters he faced but tightened up from there and took the victory, improving to 2-2 on the campaign.
“The Rangers line-up wasn’t swinging aggressively,” Imai said through a translator.
“In my mind, I just wanted to get a first-pitch strike, just get in the zone and get the outs and I was able to get the big W for the team.” It was the first MLB no-hitter since Japan’s Shota Imanga and American relievers Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge of the Chicago Cubs against Pittsburgh in September, 2024. It was the fifth combined no-hitter in Astros’ history, the first since a 2022 World Series game-four victory over Philadelphia on the way to the title.
Imai threw a combined no-hitter last season in Japan, tossing eight innings before Kaima Taira threw a hitless ninth against Fukuoka.
Imai signed a three-year MLB contract with the Astros worth $54 million but struggled early this season with a 7.27 earned run average after three starts before going on the injured list with arm fatigue.