What is an immaculate inning? Astros make history

The Houston Astros made history by throwing two immaculate innings in the same game. What is an immaculate inning?

Just about everything is going right for the Houston Astros at this point in the season. Holding a nine-game lead in the AL West thanks in part to an early-season 14-game losing streak by the Los Angeles Angels, Houston looks bound for the American League playoffs once again.

What else is new?

On Wednesday night, Houston made history by throwing two immaculate innings in the same game — once by Luis Garcia and again by reliever Phil Maton later in the contest.

“To be part of that, anytime you make history … I’m glad I was catching in that situation,” Martin Maldonado said.

What is an immaculate inning?

An immaculate inning is when a pitcher strikes out all three hitters he or she faces, and does so while throwing the minimum number of pitches in those at-bats, which would be nine. It’s a rarity in the sport, and something the Astros were able to do twice in the same game.

That, of course, is the first time Houston or any MLB team has thrown two immaculate innings in the same game.

“We hadn’t had a first inning inning like that in a long time. A couple of records, the same guys we struck them out back-to-back-to-back with nine pitches. … So it was a good day for us,” manager Dusty Baker said.

It’s been a good season in general for the Astros, who are thriving despite losing Carlos Correa to the Minnesota Twins in free agency last offseason.

The culture is strong in Houston.