HOUSTON — A Houston pitcher’s bid for baseball perfection came to an end just five outs short of completion Friday evening when Texas Rangers newcomer Justin Foscue lined a single into left field during the eighth inning.
Spencer Arrighetti’s quest for a no-hitter ended with that hit, prompting his removal from the mound. The 26-year-old right-hander had issued four walks during his 102-pitch outing — just one pitch below his personal best — with 62 of those throws finding the strike zone.
The rookie Foscue had managed only ground outs in his previous two trips to the plate and came into Friday’s contest with a .182 batting average across 11 plate appearances this season.
Coming into the game, Arrighetti sported a 4-1 record with a 1.88 ERA across five starts after starting the season playing for Triple-A Sugar Land. His previous career-best performance came on Aug. 28, 2024, when he recorded 11 strikeouts during 7 2/3 shutout innings against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Houston held a 1-0 advantage thanks to Isaac Paredes’ solo home run in the third inning.
Relief pitcher Bryan King took over for Arrighetti and prevented Texas from scoring in the eighth by getting Joc Pederson to fly out to right field, followed by catcher Christian Walker picking off Foscue at first base.
Left fielder Zach Dezenzo helped preserve the no-hit attempt earlier in the game with a spectacular diving grab on Alejandro Osuna’s line drive for the second out in the fifth inning.
First baseman Christian Walker handled a difficult bounce off Brandon Nimmo’s grounder to begin an inning-ending double play during the sixth.
The Astros franchise has recorded 17 no-hitters throughout their history, with Ronel Blanco throwing the most recent one on April 1, 2024.
Since relocating to Texas in 1971, the Rangers have been victims of five no-hitters, with Corey Kluber of the New York Yankees delivering the latest on May 19, 2021.
