HOUSTON, Texas: Yu Darvish flirted with a no-hitter yesterday, notching a career-high 15 strikeouts and surrendering one hit -- a home run -- in the Texas Rangers’ 2-1 victory over Houston.
The Rangers’ Japanese pitching ace retired the first 17 batters he faced before surrendering a walk in the sixth inning.
He didn’t allow a hit until Carlos Corporan smacked a homer to right with one out in the eighth.
“A win’s a win,” Darvish said. “I’m just glad I was a big part of this win.”
It wasn’t the first time Darvish has come close to a no-hitter.
He was one out shy of a rare perfect game against the Astros on April 2, when he retired 26 batters before surrendering a ninth-inning single to Houston’s Marwin Gonzalez.
“It was pretty much similar stuff,” Houston manager Bo Porter said in comparing the Japanese star’s two dominant outings against his team.
“Again, you are talking about a guy who has number one starter stuff and knows how to use it. He doesn’t just have control, he has command,” Porter said after the match. AFP
