Astros' Javier, relievers no-hit Phillies, even series

PHILADELPHIA -- The Houston Astros completed the archetypal combined no-hitter successful postseason past connected Wednesday night, riding six scoreless innings from Cristian Javier and different 3 from a trio of relievers successful an emphatic 5-0 triumph implicit the Philadelphia Phillies successful Game 4 of the World Series.

The triumph tied the Series astatine 2 games apiece and placed Javier successful exceedingly uncommon company, joining erstwhile New York Yankees right-hander Don Larsen -- writer of a cleanable crippled successful 1956 -- arsenic the lone pitchers successful World Series past to decorativeness an outing with nary hits allowed successful six oregon much innings.

Javier's commencement was a reprisal of the combined no-hitter helium played a cardinal relation against the Yankees connected June 25, making Javier the archetypal pitcher ever to commencement aggregate combined no-hitters wrong a career, fto unsocial the aforesaid season. On that Saturday day from Yankee Stadium, Javier exited aft throwing 115 pitches and signaling 21 outs. A small much than 4 months later, the 25-year-old right-hander was pulled aft signaling 18 outs and throwing 97 pitches.

Both times, helium turned the crippled implicit to a ascendant postulation of relievers.

On Wednesday, Bryan Abreu took the shot successful the seventh inning and struck retired the broadside contempt facing the bosom of the Phillies' order. Rafael Montero took implicit successful the eighth and retired each 3 batters, the past connected a Jean Segura enactment thrust deed straight astatine Astros close fielder Kyle Tucker. Astros person Ryan Pressly finished it disconnected successful the ninth, conscionable similar helium did successful precocious June.

There person been 18 combined no-hitters passim large league history, but nary person travel peculiarly adjacent to occurring successful the postseason. The lone different 1 that extended done 7 innings was done by the Atlanta Braves, against these Astros, successful Game 3 of past year's World Series.

Javier, 1 of the astir underappreciated starting pitchers successful the sport, rode his deceptive fastball to onslaught retired 9 batters and contented conscionable 2 walks done the archetypal six innings. At the commencement of the fourth, helium began a agelong of 5 consecutive strikeouts. In the sixth, the pitcher with the lowest groundball complaint successful the majors during the regular play benefitted from 3 consecutive groundouts. At that point, Javier became the archetypal pitcher to scope six no-hit innings successful the World Series since Jerry Koosman successful 1969.

The Astros scored each 5 of their runs successful the fifth, loading the bass with nary retired against Aaron Nola earlier lefty reliever Jose Alvarado plunked Yordan Alvarez with a fastball, past gave up a two-run treble to Alex Bregman, a sacrifice alert to Kyle Tucker and a run-scoring azygous to Yuli Gurriel.