HOUSTON _ Boy, that was fun.
Rangers right-hander Bartolo Colon retired the first 21 batters he's faced Sunday night and made a bid at his first-career no-hitter and the Rangers beat the Astros again in extra innings. Colon was perfect through seven innings before walking Carlos Correa to start the eighth.
A batter later Josh Reddick doubled to the right-field corner to break up the no-hitter. The Astros tied the game at 1 with a sacrifice fly to center.
But the Rangers rallied for a 3-1 extra innings win. Robinson Chirinos' two-run double in the 10th put Texas ahead at Minute Maid Park. He drove in all three runs in the game. His homer in the third gave Texas a 1-0 lead.
Keone Kela pitched a scoreless ninth and Jake Diekman closed it out in the 10th, getting Jake Marisnick swinging with runners on the corners to end the game.
But Colon, 44, remained the story after his dazzling night against fellow former Cy Young winner Justin Verlander. Colon threw a first-pitch strike to the first 17 Astros he faced.
He was ahead 0-2 in the count against 11 of the first 15 batters he faced. He has struck out seven.
The Chirinos homer was the only mistake by Verlander, who retired 18 of the first 20 Rangers he faced. He allowed one hit and had 11 strikeouts in eight innings. Neither factored in the decision.
Colon and Verlander are the first opposing starting pitchers in the live-ball era to combine for 18 or more strikeouts and two or fewer hits allowed, according to stats.com.
It's the second time in Colon's 21-year career that he's pitched seven innings or more and allowed just one hit. He had a complete-game shutout on Sept. 18, 2000 for the Indians against the Yankees. The Yankees' only hit was a one-out Luis Polonia single in the eighth. Colon held the Padres to one hit in seven innings last April while pitching with the Braves.
He was trying to become 10th oldest pitcher to throw a nine-inning or longer complete game shutout. Colon turns 45 on May 24. The last player older than Colon to take a no-hitter into the eighth or later was Gaylord Perry for the Royals in August 1983. Gaylord was 44 years, 338 days old.
Nolan Ryan, who was 236 days younger than Colon is now, is the oldest pitcher to throw a no-hitter, who was also 44 when he threw his last no-hitter for the Rangers in May 1991.
Colon was replaced by left-hander Alex Claudio with two outs and Reddick at second base in the eighth. Claudio forced Brian McCann to fly out to right.
The game was already special before either pitcher threw their first pitch. It was the Rangers' first regular-season game to feature two former Cy Young winners since April 12, 1981. Ferguson Jenkins (1971, Cubs) faced the Yankees Ron Guidry (1978). It happened twice in the postseason when Cliff Lee and Tim Lincecum faced off in Games 1 and 5 of the 2010 World Series. Colon won the Cy Young in 2005 with the Angels. Verlander won it in 2011 with the Tigers.
