Imai, who started Sunday’s game and twirled six hitless innings with four walks and two strikeouts, is in his first season in the majors after pitching in Japan for several years. But for Santa, he tossed the final two innings of this combined no-hitter in his MLB debut<\/a> after being called up<\/a> from Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday. The 23-year-old had been pitching in the Astros’ farm system since 2021 and posted a 1.42 ERA in 18 Triple-A appearances this year before his promotion. <\/p>\n A look at other recent no-hitters May 25, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Houston Astros relief pitcher Alimber Santa (72) and catcher Christian Vazquez (2) celebrate on the field after the Astros pitch a combined no-hitter against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Houston’s performance on Sunday marks the first MLB no-hitter since Chicago Cubs pitchers Shota Imanaga, Nate Pearson, and Porter Hodge combined to keep the Pittsburgh Pirates out of the hit column on Sept. 4, 2024. Before that, Blake Snell<\/a> threw the last no-hitter completed by just one pitcher when he was on the San Francisco Giants and shut down the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 2, 2024. <\/p>\n While there wasn’t a single no-hitter last year, there were four in 2024. And the Astros were involved then as well, with pitcher Ronel Blanco throwing the first no-hitter of that season on April 1, 2024. Dylan Cease<\/a> tossed the second no-hitter that year, keeping the Washington Nationals’ bats at bay on July 25, 2024, when he was pitching for the San Diego Padres. <\/p>\n![\"Houston](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/01ksh4nb18b2y3qqd1nd.jpg\" "\\"Houston")
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