Astros make history with two immaculate innings
Houston Astros pitchers Luis Garcia and Phil Maton made Major League Baseball history Wednesday, each throwing an immaculate inning in a 9-2 victory over the Texas Rangers. It's the first time two immaculate innings -- when a pitcher strikes out three batters with the minimum nine pitches -- have been recorded in the same game. Not only were they the first two thrown in the same game, it marked the first time, according to MLB.com, that two immaculate innings were thrown on the same day. The Astros were already leading 6-1 when starting pitcher Garcia pitched an immaculate second inning, striking out Nathaniel Lowe, Ezequiel Duran and Brad Miller on nine pitches. Garcia finished with nine strikeouts without a walk over six innings, giving up two runs on four hits. Maton replaced Garcia to start the seventh and immediately faced the same trio -- striking out the same three batters on nine pitches. Catcher Martin Maldonado caught both innings -- and also belted a two-run double as Houston put up six runs in the first. The immaculate inning has become slightly less rare in recent years. From 1928-1953 there were none recorded. Wednesday's two were the second and third of this season, after New York Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes pitched one against Baltimore on April 17. (AFP)