Ronel Blanco put a bow on a remarkable week.
In a span of seven days, the Houston right-hander welcomed a new daughter, made his first opening-day roster and then threw the first no-hitter in the MLB this season.
Blanco on Monday struck out seven and walked two in the Astros’ 10-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. The 30-year-old, who did not play in the majors until he was 28, was making just his eighth career start. He would not even be in Houston’s rotation if not for injuries to Justin Verlander and Jose Urquidy.
Photo: AFP
“It’s been a very long road traveled for me,” he said in Spanish via a translator. “A lot of ups, a lot of downs, a lot of falls, a lot of me getting back up, but I think all of that has been worth it for me to be able to get to this moment.”
He walked George Springer to start the game and again with two outs in the ninth inning. When Vladimir Guerrero Jr grounded out to end it, Blanco smiled broadly before raising his arms above his head just before being mobbed by his teammates.
“I see it as a great blessing, a great blessing for me and my family,” he said. “With the arrival of my daughter I see it as a life-changing experience, and I dedicate this to my family and my daughter.”
It was the 17th no-hitter in Astros history and the first in the MLB since Philadelphia’s Michael Lorenzen threw one against the Washington Nationals on Aug. 9 last year.
Houston’s previous no-hitter came when Framber Valdez did it in a 2-0 win over Cleveland on Aug. 1 last year.
Kyle Tucker and Yainer Diaz each homered twice as the Astros won their first game of the season after losing four to the Yankees. Houston’s Joe Espada became the first manager in major league history to get his first win in a no-hitter.
“I couldn’t be any happier for the way today turned out,” Espada said.
The Astros are the fourth team in MLB history to get their first win of the season in a no-hitter, and the first since Boston’s Hideo Nomo pitched one against the Orioles in 2001. Nomo’s no-hitter that year came on April 4. That was the record for the earliest no-hitter by calendar date, according to Sportradar, but Blanco’s gem broke the mark by three days.
Blanco threw 105 pitches — 31 fastballs, 36 changeups, 34 sliders and four curveballs.
Espada said the changeup was the key to Blanco’s success.
“It makes the fastball and the slider that much better,” he said. “The way it comes out of the hand, it looks just like his fastball, and hitters are committed to potentially swinging at a fastball and the ball just kind of falls in the zone. It’s a pitch that he’s worked really hard on and it paid big dividends tonight.”
Toronto manager John Schneider agreed.
“Really good changeup, it was almost like a split, slider combo,” he said. “Give him credit — that’s really hard to do.”
The Dominican right-hander sailed through the game and did not need too many big plays from his defense, although with one out in the ninth, Cavan Biggio hit a grounder to the right side. First baseman Jose Abreu fielded it diving to his right and then, while still on the ground, threw to Blanco covering first for the out.
“The play had to be made,” Abreu said. “That’s the only thing I was thinking about.”
Blanco had never pitched a complete game as a professional and had not pitched more than six innings.
The Astros tagged Toronto’s Bowden Francis (0-1) for 10 hits and seven runs in his first major league start.
Elsewhere, the Orioles overcame the Royals 6-4, the Rangers routed the Rays 9-3, the Mariners sank the Guardians 5-4, the Red Sox blanked the Athletics 9-0, the Dodgers downed the Giants 8-3, the Angels mastered the Marlins 7-4 and the Pirates pummeled the Nationals 8-4.
The Cubs crushed the Rockies 5-0, the Yankees defeated the Diamondbacks 5-2, the Cardinals downed the Padres 6-2, the Braves beat the White Sox 9-0 in 8 innings, the Tigers tamed the Mets 5-0 in 10 innings and the Reds outfought the Phillies 6-3 in 10 innings.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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