MILWAUKEE -- Astros pitching coach Brent Strom isn’t quite sure how many no-hitters he’s been a part of in his career, but there’s probably no doubt watching Justin Verlander throw his third career no-hitter Sunday in Toronto was one of the pinnacle moments of his career.

“That one was special just because of the way the score went,” Strom said Monday.

The game was scoreless heading to the ninth when Abraham Toro hit a two-out, two-run homer, allowing Verlander to finish off his third career no-no. Only Sandy Koufax (four) and Nolan Ryan (seven) have thrown more.

• Pitchers with multiple no-hitters

“The eighth inning was my biggest nervous inning,” Strom said. “I was afraid that somehow they’d get a run and he’s done for the day. I found myself in the ninth inning looking at my hand. I was actually shaking a little bit.”

Coming out of the bullpen prior to the game, bullpen coach Josh Miller told Strom he wasn’t sure what kind of stuff Verlander was going to have.

“He kind of questioned it a little bit,” Strom said. “I don’t think J.V., much like I learned from Koufax, places a great deal of emphasis on how he feels in the bullpen. You can be fooled. He just wants the ball to come out clean. He wants to get his hop on his fastball. He had 20 to 24 inches of hop, which is exceptional. He’s just a unique pitcher in this day and age with what he’s able to do at the top of the zone. He had a good curveball and a great slider and lost it and used the curveball a little more. It was a special day for sure.”

Strom said Verlander’s preparedness is unrivaled, and when you combine that with his work ethic, experience and the information the organization provides, he’s in a position to dominate. And now Verlander is one no-hitter away from tying Koufax, who was Strom’s favorite pitcher of all time.

“[Verlander] knows the history of the game,” Strom said. “He knows what he’s chasing. There’s nothing wrong with setting your goals really high. He wants to pitch as long as Nolan did. He’s talked to Nolan about this. As the years go by, he’s going to have to adjust a little bit because Father Time waits for no one. He’s probably going to make the appropriate adjustments much like [Roger] Clemens and Ryan did and probably add more offspeed, which he did yesterday.

“He’s a throwback. He’s a special guy. I think he should be pitching back in the day with [Tom] Seaver and that group. That’s the era he kind of belongs in because he’s a 250-inning guy. He’s just pitching in a different era right now. That’s why he’s so unique in today’s game because he’s just different than everybody else.”

Astros add three to roster

The Astros recalled three players from Triple-A Round Rock on Monday, including top prospect Kyle Tucker, an outfielder who’s the No. 12-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline. Tucker, 22, slashed .266/.354/.555 with 34 homers and 30 steals at Round Rock and is making his second appearance on a big league roster. He hit .141 and didn’t impress in his debut last summer.

“I told him to come up and be ready to hit off the bench this series,” Astros manager AJ Hinch said. “I’m probably going to give him a start over the weekend against Seattle and continue to earn his opportunities. This is a really good team he’s joining. I congratulated him on his year. I thought he had a really good season. He had some ups, he had some downs. He accomplished a lot at Triple-A and now he gets an opportunity to come up here and see if he can help us.”

Tucker, a left-handed bat, figures to play more the better he’s hitting, but Hinch will stick with his typical starting outfield alignment of Michael Brantley in left field, George Springer in center and Josh Reddick in right field, with Jake Marisnick providing speed and elite defense off the bench.

“If he earns more playing time over the course of the next month, then great,” Hinch said. “Otherwise, we need to be prepared and ready to play off the bench.”

Tucker will take some ground balls at first base in addition to being ready to play left and right field. Tucker said his goal is to make the playoff roster.

“And then from then on it’s win the World Series,” he said. “I know everyone in here has worked really hard the whole season and that’s their goal, and I’m here to help them with that.”

The Astros also called up catcher Garrett Stubbs and left-handed pitcher Cionel Pérez, both of whom have had stints on the Major League roster earlier this year. Houston will call up more players once Round Rock’s playoffs are over.