NEW YORK -- It did not take Gerrit Cole long to recognize that he was being challenged in a Saturday afternoon duel, putting up six consecutive zeroes against the Astros’ high-octane offense, then watching from the bench as young Cristian Javier did the same to the Yankees.

One start after Cole remarked that he wasn’t sure what “no-hit stuff” felt like, Javier showed it in an impressive 13-strikeout performance, combining with two relievers as the Yankees were held hitless in a 3-0 loss. It was the eighth time in franchise history that the Yanks have been no-hit.

“It’s just a tough one for the boys,” Cole said. “I thought we played every pitch today. We played really sharp defense. We pitched pretty well, for the most part. The cold hard truth is, we got outpitched and outplayed. Credit to the opponent: It was absolutely a magical day for them.”

Houston’s no-hitter was the first thrown against the Yankees since June 11, 2003, when six Astros pitchers combined to hold the Yanks hitless at the original Yankee Stadium. Before then, the Yankees hadn’t been no-hit since 1958, when Orioles knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm blanked them in Baltimore.

“It’s shocking. We have a really good lineup,” said Josh Donaldson, who reached base twice in the loss, on a walk and an error. “Being no-hit doesn’t feel good, but we feel good about our team. We’ll look back tomorrow, make some adjustments and be ready to go.”

Cole and Javier traded scoreless frames until the seventh, when Cole fired a first-pitch fastball in the dirt, low and away to rookie J.J. Matijevic. Cole overcorrected on his next offering and missed his spot, grooving a 99.7 mph heater low and in, a danger zone for a left-handed hitter at Yankee Stadium.

Matijevic connected, tossing his bat aside after swatting a 403-foot drive over the right-field wall. Cole immediately dropped to a knee in front of the mound, fearing that the one pitch he’d like back for the afternoon might be the difference.

“We’ve got two world-class offenses out here today,” Cole said. “Obviously, I personally have a ton of respect for the guys on the other side of the field. We were pretty good today and got outpitched, so a tip of the cap to Javier. A special day for him. He was excellent all around.”

Astros catcher Martín Maldonado and manager Dusty Baker steered Javier through the seventh inning, though at a career-high 115 pitches, the 25-year-old had no chance of completing his gem.

“He was just really good with his fastball,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “We just couldn’t seem to get on time with it, all day. He was dominant. Credit to him. He shut us down.”

"I was just trying to stay calm, asking God to continue helping us through this game,” Javier said through an interpreter.

Jose Altuve’s eighth-inning home run off Michael King provided Houston with extra cushion. Still, a two-run deficit seemed within reach for these Yankees, who lead the Majors with 21 comeback wins -- including nine walk-offs, one of which came in the opening game of this series.

Héctor Neris pitched around two walks in the eighth inning, wriggling free after Joey Gallo hit a deep one-out drive to right field that momentarily sparked hopes of a three-run homer, only to fall into Kyle Tucker’s glove. Aaron Judge lined a hard two-out grounder (112.9 mph) that shortstop Aledmys Díaz bobbled, then recovered to record a fielder’s choice at second base.

Yuli Gurriel’s pinch-hit RBI single off Lucas Luetge in the top of the ninth nudged Houston ahead further, sending the Yankees to the last-chance saloon against Ryan Pressly. The closer made short work of the Bombers, striking out Anthony Rizzo and Donaldson before getting Giancarlo Stanton to ground out.

“When the chips were down there, we had a chance to grab it,” Boone said. “I thought we had our best at-bats of the day [in the eighth]. We just didn’t find the hole.”

Yankees catcher Jose Trevino said the loss did not sting more than a run-of-the-mill defeat, but even those have been in short supply. The Yankees had not lost consecutive games since May 28-29, and they've done so only four times all year.

In a season that has been mostly smooth sailing, this weekend offers a reminder that if the Yankees intend to win a championship, their road will likely have to go through Houston.

“That’s certainly a fair outlook,” Cole said. “They’re a complete team. We all know that good pitching and defense win a lot of games in October. You’ve got to have clutch hitting and magical offense, as well, but there’s just not a lot of weaknesses over there. They can beat you in a lot of different ways -- the same way that we can beat you in a lot of different ways.”