MLB informed the Astros in December that Luis Garcia’s renowned pitching style — swinging his arms from side to side and stepping back and forth before releasing the ball — will not be allowed under pitching timer rules.
The new rule indicates that a pitcher must have a clear point before his release for the timer to stop, and Garcia’s several steps, plus arm movements, don’t allow that to happen.
The rule also states that a pitcher may take one step backward (or side) and one step forward. For this reason, multiple steps are now not allowed before lifting the leg that is not stepping on the rubber.
“We just reached out to Luis and told him he couldn’t do all that anymore, so we had to practice something more traditional,” Houston pitching coach Josh Miller said.
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Garcia began his unique style of pitching, which is one of the most famous in all of baseball, several years ago while trying to find a move he could repeat with consistency.
“He’s been pitching differently since we talked near the end of December, so you’ll see him in a different style.”
Garcia made the jump from Class-A to the big team during the abbreviated 2020 season and hasn’t looked back. In 63 regular-season appearances (57 starts), he is 26-17 with a 3.57 ERA and is entrenched in Houston’s deep rotation.
Last year, Garcia went 15-8 with a 3.72 ERA in 28 starts in the regular season, but was limited to 5.2 innings in relief in the postseason due to the depth of the Astros’ staff and the various days free.
