Houston Astros starting pitcher Ronel Blanco is far from a household name, but on Monday night, he showed why we should all learn more about the 30-year-old Dominican.
Why? Well, Blanco just became the first MLB pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the 2024 season. Blanco’s feat came against the Toronto Blue Jays in what was just the eighth start of his MLB career.
Amazingly, Blanco didn’t even reach the big leagues until he was 28. Now, two years later, he’s done something that’s only been accomplished 322 other times throughout MLB history.
Blanco was surgical in the Astros’ 10-0 win. While he had a no-hitter going, we’ve often seen managers pull their starter early, in an effort to save his arm while preventing overexertion. Not Joe Espada though.
Credit to the Astros manager for allowing Blanco to go the full nine innings, but it’s not like his pitch count was getting out of control, as he finished with 105 pitches on the night.
- Ronel Blanco’s stat line for no-hitter: 9 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 73 strikes – 105 pitches
This is the 17th time an Astros pitcher has thrown a no-hitter and the first since Framber Valdez accomplished the feat in August of 2023.
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