World Series: Christian Vazquez praised by Phillies, Astros after catching Game 4 no-hitter

PHILADELPHIA — Cristian Javier, Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero and Ryan Pressly etched their names into the baseball history books Wednesday, combining to hold the Phillies hitless in the Astros’ 5-0 win in Game 4 of the World Series.

As rare and impressive a feat as it was, it didn’t come with the same clout as, say, a traditional single-pitcher no-hitter.

But behind the plate? That was one guy. Christian Vazquez — Houston’s little-used backup catcher, a trade-deadline acquisition from Boston — caught all nine innings. His PitchCom device, the system used to electronically communicate with the pitchers and call pitches, was the first ever to be authenticated by MLB.

Vazquez became only the second person to catch a no-hitter in the Fall Classic, joining Yogi Berra, who was Don Larsen’s batterymate for their perfect game in 1956.

“Everybody talks about what a great job the pitcher did, but most of the time in games like this, the pitcher doesn’t shake off much, or he shakes off very few,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said before Game 5, a swing game with the teams tied at two wins apiece. “I give Christian a lot of credit for game-calling, keeping the momentum and the tempo going during the game. You don’t know me, but I always give my catchers a lot of credit for directing the pitchers through the game.”

Added Abreu, who said he didn’t realize when he was in the game that the Phillies didn’t have a hit: “I have to give him a lot of credit. He’s the catcher who was calling the right pitches. He was aggressive, attacking the strike zone. He’s been doing awesome. He came from another team and tried to adapt to us and learn how we use all the pitches. I got to give him a lot of praise.”

Vazquez, 32 years old and a free agent after the season, had spent his entire career with the Red Sox until an Aug. 1 trade to the Astros. Highly regarded since his minor-league days for his defensive abilities, including a strong throwing arm and pitch-framing, Vazquez has managed to hang around since his 2014 debut by occasionally contributing offensively, too.

With Houston, Vazquez has served as a fill-in for when the Astros want to rest the even-lighter-hitting Martin Maldonado. What was true in his first seasons — when Phillies manager Rob Thomson, then the Yankees’ bench coach, warned the team to watch out for Vazquez’s impact — remains true now: He can change the game.

“I’ve been a big fan of his for a long time. He can really catch and throw. His offensive game has improved over the course of the years,” Thomson said Thursday. “He was always a guy that, you go into Boston, do an advance report on them, he would be a guy that I would highlight all the time just because he can throw and he can back-pick and he can do a lot of things. He was really athletic. He could block the ball. Yeah, so I’ve been a big fan of his.”

The Phillies’ J.T. Realmuto, a fellow catcher, called Vazquez “one of the better catchers in the game.”

“He’s a great player. He’s always been fun to compete against,” Realmuto said. “I think he’s really good behind the plate. He’s a good game- caller. He manages the pitching staff really well. I think he receives well. He pretty much does everything you ask for defensively and then he’s also an above-average hitter for a catcher.”

Vazquez, a member of the 2018 World Series champion Red Sox, emphasized that for as much fun as a combined no-hitter is, the Astros still have their primary goal ahead.

Thomson, similarly, encouraged the Phillies to move on immediately, reminding them that they won the next game after the Mets held them hitless on April 29.

Realmuto called that “a pretty simple message, but it speaks for itself.”

“We have not finished the job here,” Vazquez said. “It’s a special moment, obviously, it’s a no-hitter. There’s only two catchers in history to make or call a no-hitter. So yeah, it’s a very special day for us and we’re happy to get that ‘W’ for everybody.”

By Tim Healey

timothy.healey@newsday.com@timbhealey

Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.