ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jack Leiter still had a no-hit bid going in the seventh inning after the Texas rookie right-hander and Houston lefty Framber Valdez matched zeros through each of their first nine outs.
The son of retired major league pitcher Al Leiter first noticed the day could be special when neither team had a hit through three innings of an eventual 4-3 victory for the Astros on Sunday.
Leiter wasn’t with the big league club the previous time Valdez was on the mound at the home of the Rangers last August, when the two-time All-Star lost a no-hit bid with two outs in the ninth inning on Corey Seager’s two-run homer.
Valdez got the win back then in a 4-2 Houston victory and again this time thanks to Isaac Paredes’ go-ahead, three-run homer in the eighth off Robert Garcia as the Texas rivals split a four-game series.
“I think every game is its own learning experience,” Leiter said after pitching into the eighth inning for the first time in 13 career big league starts over two seasons. “That’s all I’m trying to do is soak it in as much as possible and learn as much as I can.
“Obviously there’s a lot of positive takeaways to build off of this one,” Leiter said. “Very unfortunate we don’t get the win on a getaway day, win the series, all that. We’ve got a lot of things going good for us there.”
Leiter lost his no-hit bid on Yainer Diaz’s solo homer with two outs in the seventh, which pulled Houston to 3-1. The 25-year-old who was taken second overall in the 2021 amateur draft struck out Zach Dezenzo to finish the seventh, but gave up soft singles to Jake Meyers and Cam Smith leading off the eighth.
Chris Martin replaced Leiter but exited with right shoulder discomfort after one pitch. Garcia, a lefty, got two outs before Paredes’ seventh homer.
“Balls found holes that inning,” Leiter said. “All day they weren’t finding holes. Start the eighth, still make good pitches, and two of them find holes. You leave the game with two runners on and no outs, you’ve got to hold yourself accountable to those. That’s a really tough ask out of the bullpen.”
Valdez was perfect in five of his first six innings, the exception being a three-run fourth that started with three consecutive singles. The 31-year-old escaped trouble in the seventh, setting the stage for the rally.
Nine months ago, Valdez’s only wobble came with two outs in the ninth, when he allowed a walk ahead of Seager’s shot. He said that outing wasn’t on his mind as he cruised through three more innings this time.
“I’m not focused on what happened last time I was here,” Valdez said. “I’m focusing on what’s happening now. I felt like I had seven very good innings.”
Houston manager Joe Espada only saw the first two-plus innings of Leiter’s effort live. He was ejected for arguing balls and strikes in the third.
“He’s got great stuff,” Espada said. “Explosive fastball, sliders. He works on the edges. He was efficient. I never give up on our guys. We’re going to give you a run for your money.”
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