On Monday, starting pitcher for the Houston Astros, Ronel Blanco, threw the first no-hitter of the MLB season. It’s the earliest date for a pitcher to throw one in the regular season, ousting Hideo Nomo’s by 3 days.

Game Breakdown

After a five-pitch walk to Blue Jays leadoff hitter, George Springer, it looked as though it was going to be a long day for Blanco. Making just his 8th career major league start, Blanco was a fill-in starter at the end of last season when the Astros were fighting injuries. But after an excellent spring where he went 3-0 with 0 runs given up and 18 strikeouts to only 4 walks, Houston decided to give him the fifth spot in their rotation.

Blanco quickly found his groove after he recognized how effective his changeup could be against the Jays. Through four innings he struck out 6 batters- all via the change. Then in the middle innings he found success with nicely located sliders on the outer half of the plate. Before we could process what was happening, Blanco was all of a sudden 3 outs from the first no-hitter of his career.

Following a quick two-pitch AB that saw Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounding out on another great slider, Cavan Biggio jumped on a first-pitch fastball that caught a lot of the plate.

Late Game Drama

Coming off the bat at almost 98 mph, Biggio came close to ending Blanco’s nearly perfect outing. But former MVP, Jose Abreu, came to the rescue and made the play that kept the no-no intact. It was the 26th straight batter Blanco had set down since walking George Springer to start the game- and the next guy to bat was none other than Springer himself.

Believe it or not, Blanco ended up walking Springer again, on 6 pitches this time. With a lot of sliders and changeups in the dirt you could tell Blanco wanted no part of the four-time all-star. Instead, he took his chances with the MLB The Show cover athlete, Vladimir Guererro Jr. Already striking out 3 times to that point, Vladdy clearly wasn’t seeing the ball well. Nevertheless, he rolled over yet another well placed changeup on the outer half, and Blanco was suddenly in his catcher’s arms celebrating the first no-hitter of the season and his career.

Who is Ronel Blanco?

A 30-year-old from the Dominican Republic, Blanco signed a minor league contract with the Astros as a free agent back in 2016. Then began the slow ascension. Seeing time in every possible league for Houston, Blanco truly earned his chance with the major league squad in 2022. But after a terrible first year that included an ERA over 7 in just 7 appearances, it looked as though Blanco just wasn’t going to cut it for the big show.

Yet still, Ronel grinded to make his way back to the MLB in 2023, and he saw considerable improvement. With a 4.50 ERA in 52 innings pitched, it was a season that Blanco could look to build off of.

And now here we are. Ronel Blanco, after a great spring training, earned a spot in the rotation and now has thrown the 323rd no-hitter in MLB history. It marks the 17th no-hitter in Astros history, which is comfortably the most compared to any other team.

The Houston Astros have not had the most ideal start to the season, but as a team projected to win 90-92 games, they should find their footing soon. Blanco’s no-no will surely add a ton of morale to the clubhouse.

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