This was unexpected.
Houston Astros reliever Ronel Blanco got a spot start against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday. He finished with the first no-hitter of the 2024 season in a 10-0 Houston win.
A third-year major leaguer primarily with relief experience, Blanco had never thrown more than six innings in an MLB game. He pitched nine stunning innings Monday in the eighth start of his MLB career.
“It’s been a very long road traveled for me,” he said in Spanish through a translator, via The Associated Press. “A lot of ups, a lot of downs, a lot of falls, a lot of me getting back up.