After a pair of tremendous starts, Houston Astros right-handed pitcher Ronel Blanco has been selected as the American League Player of the Week.
Through two starts last week, including throwing the franchise’s 17th no-hitter on April 1st against the Toronto Blue Jays, Blanco went 2-0 and recorded 15 scoreless innings while allowing just a single hit with 11 strikeouts.
Following the no-hitter, Blanco made his second start on Sunday, tossing six scoreless frames as the Astros went on to a 3-1 win over the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field.
Blanco recorded 44 consecutive outs without allowing a hit to begin his season, which is the most in MLB history to begin a season in at least the Expansion Era (since 1961), per Elias Sports Bureau.
The 44 consecutive outs without allowing a hit are also the second-most at any point of a season in Astros history, trailing only a streak of 51 consecutive outs by Mike Scott in 1986.
The honor is the first career weekly award for Blanco, who threw the 17th no-hitter in franchise history on April 1 vs. the Toronto Blue Jays.
Dating back to the 2023 season, the Astros have taken home two of the last three AL Player of the Week Awards, with Justin Verlander taking home the honor in the final week of the 2023 regular season.