Astros pitcher Ronel Blanco’s no-hitter vs Blue Jays highlights unreal MLB journey story.
Only starting due to injuries, Houston’s starter was unreal on Monday night.
Ronel Blanco, who did not make his major league debut until two years ago at 28 years old, made history in his eighth career start, pitching a no-hitter for the Houston Astros in a 10-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night in Houston.
The 30-year-old Blanco was a surprise addition to the Astros’ rotation as this season began, earning a spot by way of a shoulder injury to ace Justin Verlander. But he confounded the Blue Jays lineup all night with a stellar changeup and finished off the no-hitter by getting Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to ground to second base for the final out.
Blanco’s outing was the 17th no-hitter in Astros history, including playoffs. It was also the earliest no-hitter in Major League Baseball history, the April Fools’ Day performance beating Hideo Nomo’s 2001 no-hitter for Boston by three days.
It was a life-changing week for Blanco, who spent Tuesday morning witnessing the birth of his daughter, and then in the afternoon had a dominant exhibition start for Houston against their AAA team – a 10-strikeout outing that secured him a roster spot.
That he reached this point for the Astros is incredible, as he wasn’t really supposed to be in this spot, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan:
“In his eighth major league start, Ronel Blanco has no-hit the Toronto Blue Jays. Blanco is an incredible story. Didn’t debut until he was 28. Now 30, he’s in the rotation only because of injuries to Houston’s starting pitchers. And tonight, he made history.”
Blanco struck out seven and walked just two Blue Jays batters in the win.
