Framber Valdez achieves a rare milestone that only Justin Verlander had reached in Astros history | MLB News

Another page of Houston Astros history is being written by Framber Valdez. Thursday night against the Chicago White Sox, the southpaw went five innings, punched out 12, threw fewer than 100 pitches, and made MLB history while tying an Astros record previously held only by Justin Verlander. For the second time in a row, Valdez became one of only four pitchers to start two straight games with 11+ strikeouts using fewer than 100 pitches.

Framber Valdez joins Justin Verlander with rare Astros pitching feat

The Astros won 4 – 3 behind the efforts of Valdez, pushing his win streak to five and improving to 7– 4 on the season. Valdez has fanned 11 and 12 in his previous two outings, also with a sub-100 pitch count. That makes him only the second pitcher in Astros franchise history to do so in the same season, according to MLB stats. The first? Justin Verlander has done it, in July 2018, during one of his most dominant stretches as an Astro.On Thursday, Valdez struck out a dozen White Sox with masterful command of the zone, allowing two runs and not allowing one walk. It was his fourth double-digit strikeout game of the season and a prime example of his growing dominance on the mound.

Astros’ history rewritten as Valdez delivers strikeout milestone

During his last six starts, Valdez has shown an ERA of 1.72, and he assists the injured and unstable Astros rotation. His effectiveness is not imitated by many pitchers, and this quality was historically atypical for Houston as well. Astros manager Joe Espada praised Valdez’s elite execution: “Framber is pitching with confidence and control. He’s setting the tone for this rotation.”And as Houston gears up to fight for a playoff spot, Valdez’s hot streak could very well be the biggest boon for the team. He is not just putting up Verlander numbers, he is doing it with a totally different — and extremely nauseating to left-handed batters.Also Read: MLB insider Jeff Passan names Framber Valdez top trade target for contendersPair of 11+ strikeout, fewer than 100 pitch outings, lands Framber Valdez alongside a franchise legend. By doing so, he has not only linked history; he is writing the next chapter of it.