Astros righty Ronel Blanco shines in relief

HOUSTON – As Ronel Blanco prepared for his postseason debut on Tuesday, he leaned on experience he gained the previous three winters in his native Dominican Republic. Despite making all but one of his 30 appearances this season as a starter, the hard-throwing righthander was confident in part because of his experience with Estrellas Orientales.

He pitched two innings of scoreless relief to keep the Astros within striking distance of the Tigers, who held on to win Game 1 of the AL Wild Card 3-1 at Minute Maid Park.

Blanco struck out four and walked three while helping manager Joe Espada keep the score close without having to use key setup men Bryan Abreu and Ryan Pressly. 

Astros Pitcher of the Year

Blanco, 31, has been more than good in his first full season in the majors. The local chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America named Blanco the 2024 Astros Pitcher of the Year.

Blanco was 13-6 with a 2.80 ERA in the regular season. He threw a no-hitter in his first start of the season and proved to be a godsend for a team that lost key starters Cristian Javier and Jose Urduidy. The Astros also got no innings from Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis Garcia, who were expected to return from injuries by the middle of the season.

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General manager Dana Brown had the Astros prepare Blanco to be a starter in spring training even though 10 of his 17 appearances in the big leagues last year were out of the bullpen. Moreover, until this season Blanco had made only seven starts with 17 relief appearances over his first two seasons in the majors.

He didn’t appear in the postseason for the Astros the previous two seasons. Blanco does have important postseason experience, though. He pitched in the postseason in the Liga Dominicana (LIDOM) in the last three winters.

Ronel Blanco credits winter ball

He made his LIDOM postseason debut in 2021. Blanco pitched in the LIDOM playoffs again in 2022. Blanco took on a greater role for the Estrellas Orientales last season. 

He helped Estrellas reach the championship series. Blanco earned the save in Game 1 of the thrilling seven-game classic. He pitched again in Game 4 of that series. 

“It’s very similar,” Blanco said of pitching in the MLB and LIDOM postseasons. “You feel the same adrenaline. Obviously they’re better hitters here, but it’s the same. Simply, I can say it’s practically or almost the same, very similar.”

Although he mainly pitched every fifth day while in the rotation this season, Blanco is confident about being ready if the Wild Card extends to three games.

“In the Dominican I’ve been able to pitch two days in a row,” he said. “With the victory tomorrow, I’d be ready for the third game.”