Houston Astros' Early-Season Ace Joins Historic List with Another Great Start
After throwing a no-hitter in his first start of the year, Houston Astros' pitcher Ronel Blanco delivered another gem on Sunday, joining a historic list in the process.
After throwing a no-hitter in his first start of the season, Houston Astros' early-season ace Ronel Blanco delivered another great performance on Sunday night against the defending champion Texas Rangers.
Blanco went 6.0 innings, allowing just one hit with four walks. He struck out four in moving to 2-0. The Astros won the game 3-1 and are now 3-7 on the early season.
With the second consecutive gem, Blanco joined a small and elite list in baseball history, per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:
most consecutive outs without allowing a hit, starting pitchers since 1990:
2015 Max Scherzer: 52
1996 Dwight Gooden: 51
2011 Justin Verlander: 47
2018 Sean Manaea: 45
2009 Mark Buehrle: 45
2024 Ronel Blanco: 44
h/t @EliasSports
Blanco didn't allow his first hit on Sunday until two outs in the sixth inning, a single by Rangers' star Adolis Garcia.
The 30-year-old Blanco is turning out to be one of the best early-season stories in baseball. He entered season in the starting rotation solely because of the Astros injury woes (Verlander, McCullers, Garcia, Urquidy) but he's absolutely making the most of his opportunity.
In his career, he's 4-1 with a 3.80 ERA. He's only made 26 appearances, all with the Astros. He made his Major League debut in 2022.
The Astros and Rangers will finish out their series on Monday night in Arlington. Astros' lefty Framber Valdez (0-0, 2.19 ERA) will start against Rangers' lefty Andrew Heaney (0-1, 1.93 ERA).
First pitch from Globe Life Field is set for 8:05 p.m. ET. The Astros travel to Kansas City next.
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