Ronel Blanco fell two innings shy of the longest innings pitched in MLB history on Sunday.
The Houston Astros starting pitcher held the Detroit Tigers to seven hitless innings in an attempt to pitch his second no-hitter of the season. Astros manager Joe Espada replaced the pitcher after 94 pitches despite breaking the no-hitter record. Houston’s relief pitchers allowed just three hits and one run, and the Astros won, 4-1.
Only six MLB pitches have produced two no-hitters in a single season
Blanco threw his first no-hitter of the 2024 season on April 1 in a 10-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. He did so after playing his first two-plus seasons in MLB primarily as a relief pitcher. He threw 103 pitches in the no-hitter, including 75 strikeouts, and it was his first game to pitch more than six innings. He has since become a regular in Houston’s starting rotation, and on Sunday he was two innings away from becoming the seventh pitcher in MLB history to throw two no-hitters in the same season.
Johnny VanderMeer, Allie Reynolds, Virgil Trucks, Nolan Ryan, Roy Halladay and Max Scherzer are the only pitchers in MLB history to accomplish the feat, with Scherzer being the last pitcher to throw a no-hitter in 2015 as a starter for the Washington Nationals against the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets.
Blanco struck out Matt Beiring and Riley Green to close out the first inning and get the ball rolling. He pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings before walking three batters in a row in the fifth. But he got out of a jam with the bases loaded and got a flyout by Zachary McKinstry to close out the inning.
Then in the sixth inning, he made a great glove catch of a liner hit by Vierling that was returned to the mound, getting the second out of the inning and contributing to the victory.
Espada had enough in the seventh, inducing two grounders and a fly ball. Reliever Ryan Pressly pitched in the eighth and Josh Hader closed out the ninth, allowing Detroit its only run of the day.
Why did the Astros pass on Blanco?
Espada cited Blanco’s pitch count this season as the reason for removing him: He has thrown 98 or more pitches six times, including 102 or more in four of those games.
“Did I want him to play faster and more efficiently and give him more opportunities? 100 percent,” Espada told The Associated Press.
Blanco told reporters he realized he wouldn’t be able to complete nine innings because of the pitch count.
“I threw a lot of pitches and I didn’t think I could finish them,” Espada told reporters through an interpreter, “so I just accepted it.”
Blanco finished the day with no hits, no runs, three walks and eight strikeouts. He threw 65 of his 94 pitches for strikes, lowering his season ERA to 2.43. While he fell short of the historic mark, he continued his impressive first season as Houston’s best pitcher and a regular MLB starter.
