Framber Valdez made that look easy.
The Astros southpaw threw the third no-hitter of the 2023 MLB season in Houston's 2-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians at Minute Maid Park on Tuesday night.
Valdez completed the no-no in front of a home Houston crowd by getting Cam Gallagher to line out to shortstop Jeremy Pena in the top of the ninth inning.
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Valdez was extremely efficient in tossing the 16th no-hitter in Astros history and the first by a lefty.
Just one walk separated the two-time All-Star from a perfect game, with a fifth-inning walk of Oscar Gonzalez marking the only time a Cleveland batter reached base. But Valdez, who struck out seven, still managed to face the minimum after forcing an inning-ending double play in the fifth.
Valdez didn't even reach the 100-pitch mark, throwing 93 pitches -- 65 of them for strikes -- to record the no-hitter.
So, where does Valdez's outing rank among the fewest pitches thrown in a no-hitter?
What's the fewest number of pitches thrown in an MLB no-hitter?
Valdez finished 10 pitches shy of matching the all-time mark.
Since pitch counts started being tracked in 1988, Darryl Kile owns the record for the fewest pitches thrown in a no-no, according to MLB.com's Sarah Langs. Kile, who was pitching for the Astros at the time, recorded an 83-pitch no-hitter against the New York Mets in 1993.
David Cone, meanwhile, owns the record for the fewest number of pitches in a complete game. As a member of the New York Yankees in 1999, Cone tossed an 88-pitch perfecto against the Montreal Expos. Cone and Kile are the only players to record a no-hitter in fewer than 90 pitches.
Valdez's 93-pitch no-hitter ranks third all time ahead of Dennis Martinez (1991) and Phillip Humber (2012), both of whom achieved a perfect game in 96 pitches.
