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.
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE 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.