Deivi Garcia could not do it all himself.
Garcia, who is the Yankees’ No. 12 prospect, threw seven perfect innings for Single-A Tampa on Monday night in what was scheduled to be a seven-inning game. And then, the Tarpons fell 1-0 to the Phillies’ Single-A affiliate thanks to a new trial rule in the minor leagues that puts a runner on second base at the start of every extra inning.
The Tarpons scored no runs in the first seven innings off three hits and a walk, which allowed the game to go into extras, in which Garcia was replaced by Christian Morris. In the eighth inning, the runner — already on second — got to third when a Tarpons infielder dropped the ball in a rundown. That runner scored two batters later on a ground out to first.
Combined, Garcia and Morris threw a no-hitter — and still lost.
“The most that I got impressed with him was the way he kept his composure during the game, knowing what was going on,” Tampa pitching coach Jose Rosado told MILB.com of Garcia. “It didn’t really surprise me pitch-wise, because this guy can throw strikes. He also can use his secondary pitches when he gets behind in the count for strikes. So he’s got good stuff. We like him. The kid likes to compete. It was fun to watch.”
It was Garcia’s second game with the Tarpons after being called up from the Charleston Riverdogs, where he notched 63 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings and held a 3.76 ERA. The 5-foot-10 right-hander was signed as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2016.
Garcia, 19, is known for the spin he puts on his fastballs.
“We call it, like, a sneaky fastball,” Rosado told MILB.com. “It gets to you quicker than what you think. He did it, man. He did a great job. It looked to me like he was in full control from the first pitch.”
The extra-innings rule is a test of an idea to speed up the pace of games, which has riled some baseball traditionalists.