Ronel Blanco fell two innings short of MLB history on Sunday.
The Houston Astros starter threw seven hitless innings against the Detroit Tigers in an attempt for his second no-hitter of the season. Astros manager Joe Espada then retired him after 94 pitches with the no-hitter intact. Houston’s bullpen allowed three hits and one run in the Astros’ 4-1 victory.
Only 6 MLB pitches have had 2 no-hitters in 1 season
Blanco previously threw the first no-hitter of the 2024 season on April 1, a 10-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. He did so after playing his first two MLB seasons primarily as a reliever. He threw 103 pitches, including 75 strikeouts in the no-hitter, his first career start with more than six innings pitched. Since then, he has been a regular in Houston’s rotation and threw two hitless innings on Sunday, becoming the seventh pitcher in MLB history to throw two no-hitters in a single season.
Johnny Vander Meer, Allie Reynolds, Virgil Trucks, Nolan Ryan, Roy Halladay and Max Scherzer are the only pitchers in MLB history to achieve the feat. Scherzer remains the last no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets as the Washington Nationals’ 2015 starter.
Blanco set the tone in the first with strikeouts of Matt Vierling and Riley Greene to close the inning. He was perfect through 4 2/3 innings before issuing three consecutive walks in the fifth. But he got out of the bases-loaded jam by inducing a flyout from Zachary McKinstry to end the inning.
He then helped his cause in the sixth with some glove work on a line return to the mound with Vierling’s bat for the second out of the inning.
He induced two groundouts and a flyout in the seventh, and Espada had seen enough. Reliever Ryan Pressly took over for the eighth inning, and Josh Hader closed out the ninth, where he allowed Detroit’s only run of the day.
Why did the Astros pull Blanco?
Espada cited Blanco’s pitch count for the season in his decision to pull him. Blanco had six games with 98 or more shots, including four with 102-plus.
Did I want him to be more efficient sooner and give him a chance? One hundred percent,” Espada said, according to the Associated Press.
Blanco told reporters he realized he wouldn’t be allowed to throw a full nine innings because of his pitch count.
“I made a lot of shots and couldn’t finish,” Espada told reporters through an interpreter. “So I just accepted it.”
Blanco finished the day with zero hits and zero runs allowed, with three walks and eight strikeouts. He threw 65 of his 94 pitches for strikes and lowered his season-wide ERA to 2.43. He was left without a story, but continued an excellent first season as an MLB regular and Houston’s best pitcher.
