Astros' Blanco no-hits Blue Jays in 8th career start

Ronel Blanco was the final pitcher added to the Houston Astros' Opening Day roster. Now, he's forever in the history books.

The 30-year-old right-hander threw a no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays at Minute Maid Park on Monday, leading the Astros to a 10-0 victory.

Blanco accomplished the feat in just his eighth career start and 25th major-league appearance. He secured it by getting Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to ground out to second baseman Mauricio Dubón.

"Very excited. I couldn't believe it. And (a) very happy moment for me," Blanco told Space City Home Network's Julia Morales through a translator postgame, per Fox Sports.

It's the 17th no-hitter in Astros franchise history and 16th in the regular season, moving them into a tie for fourth place all time. The club's 16 regular-season no-hitters are the most thrown by any franchise since Houston entered the league in 1962.

Blanco thoroughly dominated the Blue Jays from the start of his outing. He struck out seven on 105 pitches (73 strikes) and gave up just three fly-ball outs while facing just two batters over the minimum. Toronto's only baserunners came on a pair of George Springer walks - one to lead off the game and one with two out in the ninth inning.

Perhaps the closest call for Toronto came in the final inning, when Cavan Biggio's ground ball was speared by a diving José Abreu, who then tossed to a covering Blanco from the seat of his pants for the narrow putout.

It's a remarkable story for a pitcher who had to fight just to reach the majors. The Astros signed Blanco out of the Dominican Republic for only $5,000 when he was already 22 years old. He didn't pitch in his first big-league game until age 28 and went almost four years between starts until cracking the rotation in Triple-A last season. This was Blanco's first complete game and shutout at any professional level.

Blanco finally secured the No. 5 starter's job last Tuesday, only a few hours after his wife Yanissa had given birth to their second child, a baby girl.

"It's all very good, obviously," he said on the field postgame. "Always thanking God for this blessing, and I dedicate this game to God and my daughter."

Blanco's teammates gave him more than enough support, as the Astros tagged Blue Jays starter Bowden Francis for seven of their 10 runs on the night. Kyle Tucker and Yainer Diaz each hit two home runs, while Jeremy Peña added his own solo shot.

The Blue Jays, meanwhile, were no-hit for the eighth time in franchise history.