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Few sports are full of weird moments quite like baseball, and Wednesday was no different.
In the game between the Astros and the Rangers, fans and players got a double dose of perfection: Astros started Luis Garcia recorded an immaculate inning in the second inning — sending down Nathaniel Lowe, Ezequiel Duran and Brad Miller on consecutive strikeouts on just nine pitches. Five innnings later, reliever Phil Maton duplicated the feat against the same trio.
Immaculate innings are rare enough — two had never been recorded on the same day in MLB history, let alone twice in the same game by pitchers on the same team.
“It feels so good, because it’s history,” said Garcia, who struck out nine on the day. “I’m so happy for me and for Phil. I don’t know what to say. I’m just happy.”
For Houston, the day marked the eighth and ninth times in franchise history a pitcher recorded an immaculate inning.
“It’s super cool,” Maton said. “It’s not something you go out here every day and obviously strive to do. Obviously, you’re trying to strike out every hitter you face. Still kind of trying to wrap my head around it. Cool experience.”
The Houston dugout understood the magic of the moment, with catcher Martin Maldonaldo hearing calls for the ball from along the third-base line.
“Everybody in the dugout was like, ‘I need that ball! I need that ball!’” Maldonado said. “To be a part of that … Any time you make history, that’s something as any player you’re proud of. I’m glad I was the catcher in that situation.”
More importantly for the Astros, they won the game 9-2, and currently have the second-best record in the American League at 39-24.
“I heard everybody screaming and hollering and I was like, ‘What are they talking about?’” manager Dusty Baker said. “None was happier than our pitching coach, [Josh] Miller. It was a good day for us.”
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