Striking out all three batters in an inning on just nine pitches has happened just 107 times in the history of Major League Baseball
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Luis Garcia and Phil Maton did something no other teammates have accomplished in Major League Baseball history. Both players threw immaculate innings in the same game – striking out all three batters in an inning on just nine pitches.
Immaculate innings are incredibly rare with just 107 instances in the history of the league. Before Wednesday’s 9-2 win against the Rangers, there had been just seven in Colt .45s/Astros history with Will Harris doing it most recently in 2019. Not only is this a first for teammates, it’s the first time two immaculate innings have been thrown on the same day across the league, let alone in one game.
To make the occurrence even more of an oddity, Garcia and Maton did it against the exact same group of hitters. In the second inning – with the Astros leading 6-1 – Garcia struck out Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, second baseman Ezequiel Duran and third baseman Brad Miller. In the seventh inning, with the Astros leading 7-2, Maton did the same.
Garcia managed to pull off the feat despite getting just three swings and misses. Lowe went down swinging after fouling off the first two pitches he saw. Duran looked at the first strike, swung and missed, then foul tipped a ball that catcher Martin Maldonado was able to handle for another strikeout. Miller also fouled off his first two pitches before swinging for strike three. Garcia actually struck out Leody Tavarez on three straight pitches to lead off the next inning, too, before finally throwing a ball to Marcus Semien to end the streak.
Maton got it done by going right after the Rangers hitters. He threw nothing but four-seam fastballs, all between 90 and 92 mph.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism