Ronel Blanco was phenomenal last night tossing a no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays. The 30-year-old right-hand threw over 100 pitches sealing the victory. The Astros won the game 10-0 quite a way to win the first game of your season!
Who Is Ronel Blanco?
Blanco grew up in the Dominican Republic and played amateur baseball as an infield/outfielder who struggled to hit with any power. He then switched to pitching and continued to pitch in the Dominican hoping for a team to take a chance on him. Well at the age of 22 years old, a scout from the Astros was in attendance for a game to see Julio Rodriguez and ended up liking what he saw from Blanco. He was then Invited to Astros Academy where he was signed to the team at age 22. Blanco has pitched in 24 games the past two years with the Astros starting 7 of those games. He has a four-pitch arsenal, a Slider, a four-seam fastball, a Changeup, and a Curveball. Blanco’s minor league career across all levels includes 34 games started, 202 games pitched, 407.1 innings, a 41-23 record, a 3.54 ERA, a 1.26 WHIP, 462 strikeouts, and 191 walks. Last year alone with the Astros he went 2-1 in seven starts with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP.
No-No itself
Blanco made his first opening day roster and following that in his first start of the season faces off against the Blue Jays lineup with plenty of threats, George Springer, Vlad Guerrero, Dalton Varsho, and Justin Turner. Blanco was using his changeup to keep the hitters off balance on his way to seven strikeouts. He only walked two batters over the nine innings. At the end of the sixth inning, the discussion going through my head while recording the Inside the Diamond podcast was will they let him finish if it got close due to pitch count. Being his first start of the year and in five spring games, he only threw 15.2 innings. The question was valid, but the way he was going I’m glad they let him finish. The only Blue Jay to reach base was George Springer who drew two walks on the evening. Blanco struck Vald Guerrero Jr out three times last night and got him to ground out to second to complete the no-no.
Wrap Up
Seeing Blanco at age 30 in his first start of the first-ever opening day roster he’s ever made battle nine strong innings against a strong Blue Jays lineup was exciting to watch on April 1st. This was no joke and even though Bo Bichette wasn’t in the lineup this Blue Jays lineup is tough for Blanco to give his Astros team and putting the desperately needed to get their first win of the season is why Baseball is such an amazing sport to watch regardless of what team you root for!!
