Good morning to everyone but especially to...
THE HOUSTON ASTROS
The Houston Astros threw just the second no-hitter in World Series history last night, and they flexed their team-wide pitching muscle while doing so in a 5-0 victory over the Phillies that evens the series at two games apiece.
Javier threw six innings, the longest individual no-hit bid in a World Series since Jerry Koosman in 1969. Javier struck out nine and walked two. After the game, Javier said his parents predicted the no-hitter.Javier has not allowed a run as a starter since Sept. 7 (he allowed one in relief earlier this postseason). Over his last six starts (regular and postseason), Javier has thrown 34 1/3 innings, and allowed a .113 batting average.For his part, Phillies starter Aaron Nola was great for four innings but fell apart in the fifth, loading the bases with no outs. José Alvarado couldn't wriggle out of the jam, as the Astros scored all five of their runs in the frame.For Javier, it's the personal highlight of what has been an amazing season:
Obviously Larsen's individual perfect game is the gold standard when it comes to Fall Classic pitching, but Houston's team effort was simply marvelous. Javier threw his fastball on 70 of his 97 pitches. Then came Abreu, who used his wipeout slider to get two strikeouts and a 99.7-mph fastball to get the other. Then came Montero -- who threw almost exclusively fastballs -- and then Pressly, who didn't throw a single one.
With his team down two games to one against a Phillies team that hadn't lost at home this postseason, Javier delivered a performance for the ages, writes MLB reporter Matt Snyder. Every once in a while, we as sports fans get lucky enough to see a historic moment. Last night was one of those.
Tonight's Game 5 will feature Justin Verlander hoping to follow in Javier's shoes. Noah Syndergaard will get the ball for Philadelphia.
Honorable mentions
And not such a good morning for...
Getty ImagesBILL SELF AND THE KANSAS JAYHAWKS
Kansas men's basketball has suspended head coach Bill Self and top assistant Kurtis Townsend for the first four games of the season and self-imposed recruiting restrictions amid an ongoing investigation from the Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP).
This dates all the way back to 2017, when the NCAA started investigating Kansas after the Jayhawks were mentioned in the FBI's investigation of bribery and corruption in college basketball. KU received its Notice of Allegations from the NCAA in September 2019 that included multiple Level I violations -- the harshest in the NCAA rulebook -- regarding recruiting improprieties, a lack of institutional control and a head coach responsibility charge levied against Self.
Self and Townsend were already held off the recruiting trail this summer, and the program announced the following on Wednesday:
The reduction of four official visits during this academic year and in 2023-24The reduction of three total scholarships, distributed over the next three yearsThe implementation of a six-week ban on recruiting communications, a six-week ban on unofficial visits and a thirteen-day reduction in the number of permissible recruiting days during the 2022-23 calendar yearNo official visits for 2022 Late Night in the PhogWhile Kansas seems to be admitting some guilt here, the Jayhawks may also be doing this with the hope of avoiding a postseason ban, writes college basketball expert Kyle Boone.
