HOUSTON – Ronel Blanco woke up anonymously Monday, another big right-hander integrated into the Houston Astros’ heralded pitching pipeline. He worked at a car wash in the Dominican Republic and then received a $5,000 signing bonus from an organization that cornered the market by being cheap and impossible.
Blanco did not pitch until he was 18 years old. Houston signed Blanco at age 22, making him an old-timer among the teenagers who headline the International Sign Language class. If general manager Dana Brown hadn’t convinced pitching coaches to try Blanco as a starter, he might still be stuck in the minor league bullpen. He wowed at the Dominican Winter Ball and shuttled back and forth to Triple-A Sugar Land, while in the big leagues he was thwarted by the same story he tried to write.
“He and the whole group have lived up to expectations and exceeded them beyond our wildest imagination,” Oz Ocampo said late Monday night.
Ocampo oversaw the Astros’ international scouting department at its most affordable peak. Framber Valdez signed for $10,000 under Ocampo. Also Cristian Javier. Both have blossomed into true major leaguers. Blanco got half of the bonus, but now he can carve his name into Astros lore alongside theirs.
In his eighth major league start, Blanco, who was expected to enter spring training, became the 17th no-hitter in Astros history. He introduced himself to the entire sport while taming the Toronto Blue Jays in a 10-0 win at Minute Maid Park on Monday night, writing a new chapter in Houston’s cost-effectiveness.
Valdez, Javier, and Blanco became the starting pitchers with no-hitters in the team’s final four games. Javier started two games, including the first six innings of Game 4 of the 2022 World Series. Brian Abreu, who was signed for $40,000 during Ocampo’s tenure, replaced Javier for the seventh time.
“It’s pretty incredible,” said Ocampo, who began receiving text messages from other scouts involved in these deals while Blanco was bullying the respectable Blue Jays batting lineup. He watched the final out on MLB Network.
“Of course we didn’t expect this to happen,” said Ocampo, now assistant general manager of the Miami Marlins. “I think he has exceeded all of our expectations in terms of his work ethic, how much he competes, how much he cares and how consistent he has been year after year.”
Blanco never pitched more than six innings in a major league game and never exceeded the 100-pitch threshold. Pitching coach Josh Miller said the team plans to keep him around 90 pitches Monday. Blanco finished the eighth inning with a score of 91. He threw 14 more pitches in the ninth inning, earning one of the most unexpected pieces in pitching history in this franchise’s existence.
“Personally, it was special,” said manager Joe Espada, who became the first skipper in major league history to throw a no-hitter and earn his first career victory. “When you see how hard he struggled in the minor leagues and how hard he worked to perform against a really good batting lineup, it all moves to another level.”
Blanco’s chances of making it out of spring training with this team were slim. Barring injuries to Justin Verlander and Jose Urquidi, Blanco could be in the minor leagues or a part of Houston’s bullpen. He didn’t officially claim the rotation slot until the start of his final exhibition in the spring, the same day he and his wife Yanissa welcomed a baby girl. Blanco was at the ballpark that afternoon to start as well.
“I think this is a life-changing experience,” Blanco said through an interpreter. “I dedicate this to my family and my daughter.”
It was unclear when Blanco would even pitch. He and fellow starter JP France were due to give birth at the same time. The team gave France the starting spot on Monday for Sunday’s game against the New York Yankees and the Whites, but was prepared to cancel that assignment if France’s wife, Jessica, gave birth.
France had an uneventful start on Sunday. Houston lost 4-3 and the club fell to 0-4, its worst start since 2011. Abreu and closer Josh Hader also sat out the game, making him unavailable for Monday’s series opener against Toronto. The rest of the relief lineup has few players who inspire much confidence, leaving the onus on Blanco to provide a boost.
The swings provided more than enough. Leadoff batter George Springer gave up two walks, including one to start the game. No other Blue Jays reached base. Although he needed 19 pitches to complete the first frame, Blanco needed fewer than 15 pitches to complete his next eight frames. Toronto took 59 swings against him. Of those, 20 were missed.
Blanco dominated the Blue Jays with his powerful changeup, which he threw at will. All seven of his strikeouts ended there. Half of his 20 whiffs came against it. He threw only 9 percent of his pitches in the major leagues last season, but he wanted his repertoire to be more unpredictable and spent spring training honing his pitching volume.
Assistant pitching coach Bill Murphy traveled to the Dominican Republic, where he tinkered with Blanco’s on-field grip.
“It’s become more consistent,” Miller said. “It’s still a bit contradictory, but… dirty when it’s right. ”
Added catcher Yainer Diaz: “Every time I called him in spring training, he always commanded well. I knew it was a pitch he had practiced a lot in the offseason. When I got to the bullpen, I saw his slider. Usually he pulls a little bit when he warms up, but I saw him throw and command so well that it reminded me of the slider. It gave me the confidence to make the call and mix up both with the changeup.”
Blanco threw 36 changeups, 31 four-seam fastballs and 34 sliders. Concerns about his long-term viability as a starter have always centered on his lack of a third pitch, perhaps preventing him from navigating the batting lineup time and time again. Monday may have allayed most of those concerns.
Toronto hit fours harder than 90 mph against the Blancos. He only hit three balls that reached the outfield. No other airship traveled beyond his 192 feet. No notable defensive plays were needed, but the two ground balls late in the inning still posed a threat.
In his eighth inning start, catcher Alejandro Kirk hit a 160.7 mph grounder up the middle. No Blue Jays batter hit the ball harder all night. Blanco instinctively reached out his hand and deflected the baseball. It tumbled into no man’s land.
Second baseman Mauricio Dubon dove to left, scooped it up over the carom, and completed a slow catcher’s outout that covered only 23.7 feet per second in a sprint. Afterwards, first baseman Jose Abreu admitted that he was lucky that Kirk hit the ball instead of a fast runner.
Two easy outs moved the Blancos three away from history. He sprinted toward the ninth inning as the sparse crowd reached its climax. The adrenaline was so high that he avoided a stick check by the referee before being called back.
“During warmups (in the ninth inning) he pulled both fastballs and I thought, ‘Oh, he’s nervous,'” catcher Yainer Diaz said through an interpreter.
Blanco acknowledged that too. With one out, Cavan Biggio hit a sharp ground ball that forced Abreu to the backside. He threw it harmlessly into the swing. Blanco covered his bag to erase himself from history.
Blanco walked Springer again, and Houston put left-hander Parker Muszynski in the bullpen while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. continued to play defense. Blanco’s pitch count had ballooned and the team just wanted him to face one more batter. Guerrero nailed a two-strike changeup to second base, securing the end.
(Top photo of Ronel Blanco: Logan Riely/Getty Images)
