It only took five games for the Toronto Blue Jays to endure the first no-hitter thrown in 2024, charged with being on the wrong side of a historic performance by Houston Astros spot starter Ronel Blanco on Monday night.
Blanco, a reliever in Houston's bullpen, made just his eighth start at the big-league level and absolutely pulled the rug out from under the Blue Jays. The 30-year-old, fresh off a 2-1 campaign with a 4.50 ERA in 2023, no-hit Toronto in a near-perfect fashion. Two walks to Blue Jays lead-off hitter George Springer held Blanco back from a spotless 27 consecutive outs, nevertheless, the right-hander still became the 17th Astros pitcher in history to throw a no-hitter. He also became just the eighth pitcher in MLB history to no-hit the Blue Jays.
Houston provided Blanco with plenty of run support, scoring 10 times off 12 hits, including five home runs off Toronto's pitching. The Astros lineup knocked Blue Jays starter Bowden Francis off the mound after charging him with seven earned runs through 5 1/3 innings, rewarding Blanco for a celebratory first win of the season.
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The Astros entered their battle with the Blue Jays winless through the first four games of 2024, but 105 pitches from Blanco changed that and even provided a night off for Houston's bullpen.
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Three-time All-Star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the final out of Blanco's masterpiece, finishing 0-4 with three strikeouts.
"I am very excited. I couldn't believe it and (it's) a very happy moment for me," Blanco said, per FOX Sports video.
Blanco had only made 24 previous appearances with the Astros through the last two seasons and his deepest outing as a starter was six innings. While he served as a fill-in option to an injured Houston rotation, Blanco could use Monday night's performance as the foundation for a bid at a more secure role with the Astros this season.
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Featured image via Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports Images
