Imai, Two Relievers Blank Rangers in MLB’s First No-Hitter of 2026
Imai, Two Relievers Blank Rangers in MLB's First No-Hitter of 2026
Houston Astros starter Tatsuya Imai and relievers Steven Okert and Alimber Santa combined for a no-hitter against the Texas Rangers on Monday, May 25, 2026, at Globe Life Field in Arlington, producing a 9-0 victory and the first no-hitter in Major League Baseball since September 2024.
Imai, a 28-year-old right-hander in his first big-league season after signing a three-year, $54 million contract with Houston in January, retired 16 consecutive batters through six innings after a rocky opening frame in which he walked three of his first four hitters and was aided by a double play. Okert handled the seventh before Santa, making his major-league debut, retired all six batters he faced across the eighth and ninth. The game’s final out came on a called third strike against Brandon Nimmo, with an ABS challenge by the batter confirmed as a strike. The win extended Houston’s winning streak to four games.
The no-hitter was the 17th in Astros franchise history and the fourth achieved through a combined effort, including the club’s combined no-hitter in the 2022 World Series against Philadelphia. The last MLB no-hitter had come in September 2024, when Shota Imanaga and two Chicago Cubs relievers combined for a 12-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates; the last complete-game no-hitter was recorded in August 2024 by Blake Snell against the Cincinnati Reds. Texas had previously been held hitless five times, most recently when Corey Kluber no-hit the Rangers for the New York Yankees in May 2021. Before joining Houston, Imai posted a 10-5 record with a 1.92 ERA in his final season with the Seibu Lions of Japan’s Pacific League, where he had been a three-time All-Star across eight seasons.
Santa’s debut performance and Imai’s continued development give Houston an area of pitching depth to monitor as the Astros push deeper into the 2026 season.
