Astros' Garcia, Maton throw immaculate innings against same hitters
What's better than one immaculate inning? Two, of course.
The Houston Astros' pitching staff managed just that Wednesday, with starter Luis Garcia punching out three Texas Rangers batters on nine pitches in the second inning.
Here's the amazing part, though. Right-handed reliever Phil Maton also accomplished the feat in the seventh inning ... against the same three Rangers hitters.
Phil Maton just tossed the second immaculate inning of the game, to the SAME THREE BATTERS as the first one ... pic.twitter.com/9HUBNWshU5
— MLB (@MLB) June 15, 2022
Nathaniel Lowe, Ezequiel Duran, and Brad Miller were the repeat victims.
Martin Maldonado, known for his defensive prowess, caught both innings.
"To be part of that, anytime you make history ... I'm glad I was catching in that situation,” Maldonado said, according to The Associated Press.
The Astros are the first team to record two immaculate innings in the same game, the club said, according to Mark Berman of Fox 26.
It's also the first time two immaculate innings have been thrown on the same day, regardless of team or game, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.
They were the second and third immaculate innings of the season after New York Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes Jr. authored the first one in April. In total, 108 immaculate innings have been recorded in MLB history.
The Astros won Wednesday's rubber match 9-2, taking the third installment of the Lone Star Series this season 2-1. Houston improved to 8-3 against the Rangers on the year.
The 25-year-old Garcia earned his fourth win of the season. He allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits over six innings of work while striking out nine. The sophomore now possesses a 3.41 ERA and 4.27 FIP in 66 innings over 12 starts.