Bartolo Colon Becomes Oldest Pitcher Ever to Carry No-Hitter into 8th Inning

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Bartolo Colon may have failed in his no-hit bid Sunday night against the Houston Astros, but he made history nonetheless.

Colon lost his perfect game with a walk to Carlos Correa to open the eighth inning, and Josh Reddick got Houston's first hit with a double one batter later. Still, Colon (44 years old) is the oldest pitcher to have a no-hitter in the eighth inning, according to the Dallas Morning News' Evan Grant.

The Rangers removed Colon after throwing 7.2 innings. He allowed one earned run on one hit and struck out seven batters. Houston Texans star J.J. Watt saluted Colon for his impressive performance:

While nobody expected Colon to flirt with perfection Sunday night, his work on the mound continued what has been a solid start to his Rangers career. He allowed two earned runs over 11 innings in his first three appearances (one start).

Despite this being his 21st MLB season, Colon has yet to throw a no-hitter in the majors. He did, however, toss a no-no with the Buffalo Bisons, then the Cleveland Indians' Triple-A affiliate, in June 1997.