Reid Detmers' latest Angels gem was far superior to Astros' Little League no-hitter

The Houston Astros completed a combined no-hitter over the Memorial Day weekend and blanked the Texas Rangers by a final score of 9-0. Congratulations, I guess. While a combined no-hitter is nothing to sneeze at, it pales in comparison to a starting pitcher who gets all 27 outs by himself.

Los Angeles Angels' starter Reid Detmers actually has a no-hitter on his résumé. The left-hander shut down the Rays back on May 10, 2022. Moreover, Detmers' latest outing over the weekend against that same Rangers squad was far more impressive than what the Astros did on Monday night in Arlington.

Angels starter Reid Detmers' latest gem outshined Astros' no-hitter

A combined no-hitter shouldn't be simply cast aside. It's a fine "team achievement". The Angels themselves have two such performances recorded during the annals of team history. Mark Langston and Mike Witt combined to shutdown the Seattle Mariners on April 11, 1990. And of course who could forget the Halos blanking the Mariners in 2019 following the tragic passing of Tyler Skaggs.

Combined no-hitters count, but are oftentimes amplified more than they should be. The Astros' latest effort against the Rangers is the latest example. Houston starter Tatsuya Imai walked three of the first four batters he faced and ended his day with four free passes and two punch outs over just six innings. Six innings? That's all you've got?

The combination of relievers Steven Okert and Alimber Santa closed out the final three innings and the Astros celebrated their 18th no-hitter in franchise history. This is the fifth time the Astros have tossed a combined no-hitter, including four since 2019.

But while the baseball media is fawning over the Angels' AL West rivals, Detmers' efforts over the weekend went almost completely ignored; perhaps because the Halos are an embarrassing 14 games below .500. But the team's win-loss record shouldn't take away from the outstanding performance Angels' fans saw from Detmers on Sunday.

In total, Detmers went eight innings, racked up 14 Ks, and didn't walk a single batter. He made one critical mistake, and that came during the top of the second inning when he surrendered a solo home run to Rangers' slugger Jake Burger. Ironically, according to Baseball Savant, that ball would've stayed in the yard if Sunday's game was played at Globe Life Field in Arlington.

So yes, let's all give a slow, sarcastic clap to the Astros' pitching staff. Good. Job. Fellas. But it has to be stated that Detmers' eight-inning performance on Sunday was miles better than what baseball fans saw from Houston on Monday night. The Astros may have no-hit the Rangers on Monday, but Detmers broke their spirits just one night earlier.

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