Ronel Blanco was throwing a no-hitter when he was pulled after seven innings as the Houston Astros defeated the Detroit Tigers 4-1 on Sunday.
Joe Espada shared part of the conversation he had with Blanco when he removed the dominant right-hander from the game.
\"I just told him how proud I am of what he\'s doing,\" Espada said. \"This is a guy that came out of nowhere and he continues to perform at a high level. He has really picked his team up through injuries and he goes out there and he does things we need him to do.\"
Blanco, who threw the only no-hitter in the Major Leagues this season on April 1, was just as good this time in the 20th start and 37th appearance of his career.
The 30-year-old threw 94 pitches with 65 strikes and tied a season best with eight strikeouts. He walked three.
Espada said it wasn\'t a difficult decision to replace Blanco because of how many pitches he has thrown this year, noting that he has had four outings with more than 100 pitches and two with 98.
\"But did I want him to be more efficient earlier and give him a shot? One hundred percent,\" Espada said.
Via Associated Press