Tatsuya Imai’s comeback from the injured list on May 12 proved catastrophic.
During his fourth Major League Baseball appearance with the Houston Astros, the prominent Japanese player surrendered 5 base hits, 6 earned scores, issued 3 bases on balls, and hit 2 batters in a 10-2 defeat against the Seattle Mariners. His earned run average stood at 9.24 upon his departure.
Those difficulties now seem to be a thing of the past for him.
In his subsequent outing following that disappointing performance against the Mariners, Imai delivered six hitless frames on Monday, contributing to a 9-0 victory over the Texas Rangers. Steven Okert and Alimber Santa then joined forces for three innings in relief to finalize the no-hitter, marking the first in Major League Baseball since 2024.
Prior to Monday, the most recent MLB no-hitter was achieved collaboratively by the Chicago Cubs on September 4, 2024.
Astros relief pitcher closes out no-hitter in first MLB appearance
Santa, appearing in his inaugural MLB game, recorded the ultimate out by striking out Brandon Nimmo. He completed two flawless innings as a reliever during the eighth and ninth frames.
Imai concluded his six hitless innings with two punchouts and four free passes. His final out of the evening came from a ground ball hit by Alejandro Osuna.
This collective no-hitter marked the fifth in the franchise’s history, surpassing any other MLB club by three. It represented the 18th no-hitter overall for the Astros, encompassing postseason games. This total is five greater than any other team since the Astros began in 1962, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.
Imai finds vindication following initial MLB difficulties
Imai had delivered 97 pitches across six innings before being removed from the contest. Considering the team’s commanding 9-0 advantage and the pitcher’s elevated pitch count, Astros manager Joe Espada chose to avoid overworking Imai’s arm. It’s worth noting that Imai had already spent a portion of his inaugural MLB campaign on the injured list due to arm exhaustion.
Nevertheless, the Astros can depart Monday’s game with a significantly more optimistic perspective on Imai’s Major League future compared to two weeks before. His earned run average, though still high at 6.17, represents an improvement of more than three runs from its mark on May 12.
At 28 years old, Imai entered Major League Baseball this year, having previously earned three All-Star selections in Japan’s Pacific League while playing for the Seibu Lions. During his last year with the Lions, he recorded a 1.92 ERA, accumulating 178 strikeouts and 45 walks across 163 2/3 innings.
The Astros secured him with a three-year, $54 million guaranteed contract during the offseason, envisioning him as a premier starting pitcher. However, he encountered difficulties early on and, leading up to Monday, had surrendered between three and six earned runs in four of his preceding five starts.
He did produce a single performance that foreshadowed the potential he demonstrated on Monday. On April 4, in an 11-0 victory against the Athletics, Imai gave up just 3 hits, fanned 9 batters, and walked 3 over 5 2/3 innings of a dominant, scoreless start.
Presently, he has played a part in concluding a Major League Baseball no-hitter dry spell that spanned almost 20 months.
