Astros Luis Garcia, Phil Maton Throw Immaculate Innings in Same Game
In baseball, an immaculate inning is one of the rarer achievements that a player can accomplish: one inning, nine strikes, three strikeouts
No team in MLB has accomplished this feat more than nine times, and the Houston Astros tied that current team record with not one, but two immaculate innings in the same game.
Wednesday's game against the Texas Rangers was the first time in MLB history that the same team accomplished the feat twice in one game.
Astros starter Luis Garcia did it first in the second inning as he already had himself a six-run lead heading into the frame.
He retired Nathaniel Lowe, Ezequiel Duran and Brad Miller all in order, all via strikeout. Even more wild is the fact that Garcia retired a fourth-straight hitter via a three-pitch strikeout to start the third inning.
Five innings later, Astros reliever Phil Maton faced the same three batters: Lowe, Duran and Miller and once again, the three were retired in order on 3 three-pitch strikeouts.
This was not just the first time one team had two immaculate innings in one game, but this will probably be the only time ever that both pitchers in those innings retired the same three batters.
The odds of that happening has to be minute, well under one percent, but sure enough, the Astros did it and cruised to a victory against the Rangers.
Houston won the game on Wednesday, 9-2, improving to 39-24 on the season with a 9.5 game lead in the American League West.
Garcia had another fantastic start, striking out nine over six innings of work, giving up just one earned run.
After taking two of three in Arlington, the Astros head back home for a three-game set against the Chicago White Sox starting on Friday evening.
