Welcome back: Garcia spins six strong innings in 1st MLB start since 2023

HOUSTON -- Considering he’s one of the most popular players among his teammates in the Astros’ clubhouse, right-hander Luis Garcia’s return to a Major League mound for the first time in 28 months was met with pride and delight in nearly every corner of Daikin Park.

Astros manager Joe Espada gave Garcia a hug in the clubhouse postgame and told him he was proud of him, and Jose Altuve flashed a smile while talking about Garcia’s outing. In the stands, Garcia’s mother and brother were watching, too, and shared in the satisfaction of the culmination of two years of work put in by him following Tommy John surgery and a pair of setbacks.

Garcia, pitching for the first time since May 1, 2023, held the Angels to three runs and three hits in six innings to pick up the win in the Astros’ 8-3 victory Monday, which earned them a split of the four-game series. Garcia said his return was the end of a “difficult” and “long road.”

“I wasn’t nervous, but I was feeling some emotions,” Garcia said. “I was trying to keep the calm.”

He did that for 79 pitches while striking out six batters and not issuing a walk. Garcia retired the first nine batters and the final seven batters he faced, giving up three runs in the fourth inning on a leadoff homer by Zach Neto and a two-run homer by Joe Adell.

“Just to see him go out there and compete, to see the smile on his face, proud of him,” Espada said. “He really worked hard to get to this point. I thought he threw the ball really well. He got the cutter, threw his fastball up in the zone when he needed. Very efficient when he stayed away from the middle of the plate.”

With what appeared to be a shorter arm action, Garcia’s velocity was down markedly from when he pitched in 2023, including 3.3 mph on his cutter and 2.9 mph on his curveball and sweeper. He relied mostly on his four-seam fastball, though, which averaged 92.7 mph -- 1.3 mph slower than his previous average.

“For me, he pitched to his strength, which is the cutter, the fastball command,” Espada said. “... I think the execution, the game plan and the fact that after two years of not pitching, he went out there against a really good-hitting lineup and he throws six innings. I tip my hat to him.”

Garcia wasn’t worried about the dip in his velocity, which was also prevalent during his Minor League rehab starts, and believes it will improve with time. He also admitted he’s a different pitcher than he was two years ago.

“My mentality has changed a little bit,” Garcia said. “I think I’m more consistent in the zone. I know I can do my work. I have to make my pitches in the zone. I know I’m a pretty competitive guy and I know my velo will be there. I feel I can throw harder, but I don’t want to hurt my arm or something like that.”

The Astros scored one run in five consecutive innings against Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi, beginning with a solo homer by Ramón Urías in the second. Carlos Correa’s RBI single in the fifth broke a 3-3 tie, and Jeremy Peña added an RBI double in the sixth. Houston added three more in the eighth, capped by Altuve’s two-run blast, his 24th of the season.

“I’m really happy,” Altuve said. “The whole team, the whole organization is happy for [Garcia]. He’s been working his way back to be healthy and to be part of the team on the field again. Great guy and he did amazing today. He gave us an opportunity to win.”

Garcia leaned on teammates like Altuve, as well as his coaching staff and training staff, throughout the rehab process. He suffered a pair of significant setbacks along the way, but worked his way through them with a smile and positive attitude.

Everybody else was smiling with him Monday.

“He's a strong kid physically and mentally and to get to this point I just couldn’t be any prouder,” Espada said. “After the game I gave him a big hug and I said, ‘Listen, it’s not easy to do what you did today.’ A lot of people start questioning themselves. They start having doubts about if they’re ever going to get back on the mound but the fact he did it today, proud of him.”