ARLINGTON (Texas) — Astros starter Luis Garcia And reliever Phil Maton each threw an immaculate inning — nine pitches, three strikeouts — and Martín Maldonado keyed a six-run first inning that sent Houston over the Texas Rangers 9-2 Wednesday.
Maldonado scored a two-run homer and a double in the first as the AL West-leading Astros won their seventh consecutive series against their division rival.
Garcia (4-5) struckout nine with no walks in six innings and Texas only two runs and four hits.
Garcia had five consecutive strikeouts. His streak began in the second inning, when Garcia threw nine pitches and was able to strike out. Nathaniel Lowe, Ezequiel Duran And Brad Miller.
These were the first three batters Maton faced following Garcia’s replacement to begin the seventh. Maton also recorded a nine pitch, three-strikeout innings.
In major league history, there have been 106 immaculate innings. Wednesday was the first day that two were recorded on the same day. They managed to get them both in the Astros’ hands, moving them into a tie for most perfect innings by one franchise (nine).
Houston (39-24), the only AL West team to have a winning record had lost four of five games after dropping their series opener. With a four-run rally ending in the eighth inning, the Astros won 4-3. They then opened the series finale with another huge outburst.
In the first inning, the Astros sent 11 batters at the plate. The Astros sent nine batters to the plate in the first inning. Tyson Miller (0-1), who was taken after No. 9 batter Maldonado’s double to the right.
Miller was a replacement call-up for Triple-A Round Rock, when the Rangers put Miller in. Glenn Otto Only hours before Miller was scheduled to start the series opener against the White Sox, he was placed on the COVID-19-related injured list. Miller pitched 2 1/3 innings of relief against the White Sox. Chicago White SoxBut, the Astros won the game. Otto was given the spot in the rotation again.
Houston’s leadoff man Jose Altuve Miller’s third pitch hit him, and a single and a walk loaded the bases. Yordan Álvarez then hit a two-run double to extend his on-base streak to 16 games and put the Astros ahead to stay. Kyler Tucker added an RBI groundout.
Maldonado was the leader of the fourth, with his fifth homer of season to make it 7-2. Yuli Gurriel In the Astros eighth, he hit a two-run homer.
Garcia’s streak with five consecutive strikeouts was ended by Corey Seager He hit his 13th homer. It was a solo effort in the third. Garcia got out of the inning after another strikeout.
Information from ESPN Stats & The Associated Press was used in this report.