In only his 8th career Major League start, right hander Ronel Blanco has thrown the 17th no-hitter in Astros franchise history. Needing only 105 pitches, 73 of which for strikes, Blanco tallied 7 strike outs against the Toronto Blue Jays securing the Astros first victory of the season.
The first no-hitter across the league was dominated by Blanco. Facing 29 batters, the righty threw a devastating array of pitches and kept batters off kilter all game long. Former Astro, George Springer, was the only Toronto baserunner of the night reaching twice via the walk.
In true no-hitter fashion, the defense had their time to shine late in the game. Gold Glove winner Mauricio Dubon threw out catcher Alejandro Kirk after Blanco deflected a grounder up the middle. Then with one out in the ninth inning, first baseman Jose Abreu made an outstanding backhanded grab to pull within an out of history. One final groundout secured Blanco’s name in the record books.
Offensively, Houston was backed by multi-home run performances by the likes of Kyle Tucker and Yainer Diaz leading the charge in a 10 run and 12 hit effort.
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