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The last time Carlos Zambrano faced the Houston Astros he had to leave the game with a sore rotator cuff.  This time around the Astros would not be nearly as lucky.

Zambrano tossed the first no-hitter for the Cubs in 36 years, in his first start since September 2, and shut down the Astros 5-0 Sunday night in a game that was played in Milwakuee because of Hurricane Ike.

The Astros who haven’t played since Thursday because of Hurricane Ike looked weary after arriving at Miller Park just hours before the first pitch. They looked even worse after Zambrano’s masterful pitching performance.

The move to Miller Park had little adverse affect on the Cubs whose fan base followed them for the short trip up I-94 and made Miller Park seem just like Wrigley Field.

Even Astros manager Cecil Cooper credited the disruption from Hurricane Ike as a possible deciding factor in the no-hitter, “It was a long travel day and Hurricane Ike, That’s what I put it on. That and having two days off. I’m not saying he wasn’t good.”

Zambrano embraces manager Lou Pinella after his no-hitter

The no-hitter moved Zambranos record to 14-5 on the season and the normally emotional pitcher kept himself in check until striking out Darren Erstad to seal the no-hitter. It was at that point that Zambrano dropped to his knees and pointed to the sky, he was immediately mobbed by his teammates who obviously enjoyed watching a piece of history.

Though only 23,441 fans were on hand to witness the moment they filled the stadium with chants of “Let’s go Z!” throughout the final inning and erupted when Zambrano put the icing on his gem.

The last Cub pitcher to throw a no-hitter was Milt Pappas in 1972. Zambranos no hitter was the 13th in team history. It was just the second no-hitter in the majors this seasons with Boston’s Jon Lester pitching the other in a game against Kansas City at Fenway Park on May 19.

Unfortunately for Brewers fans and ball players it was the first no-hitter ever at Miller Park and they were nowhere to be found.

The Astros only came close to a hit on two occasions. David Newhan lined a drive to that first baseman Derrek lee stabbed out of the air on a leaping catch to end the fifth inning. Geoff Blum also put a scare into Zambrano when he sent a fly ball toward the right-field corner to lead off the eighth, but Mark Derosa made a nice grab to perserve the no-hitter.

Zambrano let his emotions get the best of him in the seventh inning when he was sat down on a strikeout and nearly broke the bat over his knee before taking a glance at manager Lou Pinella who was apparently able to translate the message that now was probably not the best time for Zambrano to do that.

Pinella didn’t want Zambrano to exceed 100 pitches on the night, having just recently had an anti-inflammatory shot, but as the game wore on with the no-hitter still intact it became clear the Zambrano was staying in the game no matter how many pitches it took. In the end Zambrano finished with 110 pitches, 73 for strikes.

The no-hitter was also Zambranos first shutout since 2004. The Cubbies continue to cement themselves as a potential favorite to win their first World Series in 100 years and if Zambrano can continue to perform at this level they will have an excellent chance.