Darvish had it all working against the Astros. (USATSI)

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Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish retired the first 26 Astros he faced on Tuesday night, but he could not retire the 27th. Houston shortstop Marwin Gonzalez laced a well-hit ground ball single back up the middle to break up the perfect game with two outs in the ninth.

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"I told him I loved him and that he pitched a hell of a game for us," said manager Ron Washington after the game, though Darvish was much more modest. "I think my teammates were probably more disappointed than I was ... I think I got lucky today," said the right-hander.

Despite that modesty, Darvish was absolutely masterful in his season debut. He struck out 14 and threw 111 total pitches (78 strikes), generating a whopping 27 swings and misses. That could very well go down as the highest swing-and-miss total in all of baseball the season. It was Darvish's ninth double-digit strikeout game in 30 MLB starts. He was lifted after allowing the single to Gonzalez.

Houston nearly ended the perfect game twice in the fifth inning, when left fielder Chris Carter hit a long fly ball to left-center field that David Murphy reeled in on the warning track. Right fielder Rick Ankiel followed with a hard hit line drive right at first baseman Mitch Moreland one batter later. Darvish went to three-ball counts to just five of the 27 hitters he faced.

"If there's any team that's not going to an out for granted, it's probably us," said second baseman Ian Kinsler after the game, referring back to the club's near World Series win in 2011.

There have been 23 perfect games in MLB history, including one by a Texas Ranger: Kenny Rogers against the California Angels on July 28, 1994. The Rangers have had five no-hitters in team history, the last being Rogers' perfecto. Nolan Ryan threw two (1990 and 1991) while Bert Blyleven (1977) and Jim Bibby (1973) threw one apiece. The earliest a no-hitter has been thrown is April 4, by Hideo Nomo in 2001.

The Rangers won Tuesday's game 7-0 thanks to an Ian Kinsler homer and three-hit games from Elvis Andrus and former Astro Lance Berkman.