Justin Verlander threw his third career no-hitter, and it was all fastballs and dominance from start to finish. In the eighth inning, he was still gassing hitters with high heat, pounding the zone with fastballs spotted exactly where he wanted. He mixed in a nasty curveball to end the frame, keeping hitters completely off balance. At that point, the game was still tied 0-0. Houston needed offense.
Alex Bregman got on base, and then rookie Abraham Toro, playing in Canada where he’s from, stepped up with his family in the crowd. Toro crushed a go-ahead home run, giving Verlander a cushion to finish the job. In the ninth, Verlander stayed aggressive. He kept the fastballs coming, mixing in curves and off-speed pitches that looked identical to the fastball out of his hand. The overlay between the pitches made the deception clear. Hitters had no chance.
He finished the game with a routine grounder to third, sealing the no-hitter. Verlander tipped his cap, clearly emotional but trying to hide the bald spot. Teammates celebrated, including a solid seed shower in the dugout. Toro got plenty of love from the team after his clutch homer. The no-hitter was pure control and power from Verlander, and it got a big boost from a rookie’s big swing.