Framber Valdez's no-hitter against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday came under scrutiny as fans questioned its credibility, as it came for the Houston Astros.
Against the Guardians, Valdez took the mound and became the first left-handed Astros player and only the 16th overall to achieve a no-hitter. However, social media belittled the feat and referred to the Astros' infamous sign-stealing scandal that had rocked the baseball world.
In the 2019-20 offseason, the Athletic published an article that outlined how the Astros used electronic equipment to monitor what opposing pitchers were going to throw. Astros staff members would then relay the pitch information to their batters, giving them an unfair advantage
Many players from the team, like Jose Altuve, Justin Verlander and Alex Bregman, offered apologies in press conferences. Most of the baseball world took a diplomatic approach to the situation, but fans have had a preconceived notion about the Astros since then.
One said:
"Cheated against the Phillies last year, probably cheating again"
Here are some of the top Twitter reactions:
Framber Valdez's no-hitter will give a lot of confidence to Astros
Framber Valdez was solid right from the start. He conceded only a single walk in the fifth innings, which was sorted, thanks to a double play by the position players. In the process, Valdez improved from a very subpar July that saw him earn an ERA of more than 7.
“The last couple of games I just wasn’t as focused as I could have been and I’ll be the first to admit that,” Valdez said in Spanish through a translator. “But today I just came very focused, very positive and just ready to leave it all out on the field.”
Framber Valdez's no-hitter will give a lot of satisfaction to the Astros who recently signed back Justin Verlander from the Mets.
They have looked to fill in the gaps in their starting rotation because of the number of pitchers who have been injured. Astros are in contention for the AL West with the Rangers and are looking to seal their sixth division title in seven years.