Was signed as a 20-year-old non-drafted free agent out of Venezuela on July 2, 2017...signed by Astros scouts Oz Ocampo, Tom Shafer, Roman Ocumarez and David Brito...As an amateur in Venezuela and prior to signing with the Astros, had trouble finding baseball cleats for his size 12 feet...Garcia’s mom, who is a social worker, had a friend with a connection to MLB and made the ask on behalf of her son..her friend was the sister of Astros bullpen catcher Javier Bracamonte, who regularly sends equipment back to his native country of Venezuela...Bracamonte provided the cleats, which eventually made there way back to Garcia...finally in 2021, Bracamonte was surprised to find out that the kid from Venezuela who needed size 12 cleats was Garcia, who was in his first full season with the Astros...Is the third player in club history to wear the #77 after Pudge Rodriguez (2009) and Pedro Feliz (2010)...was assigned the number when he joined the club in midseason of 2020 and opted to keep it moving into the 2021 campaign...he has a special connection to the number, which was worn by him on international signing day in 2017...the #77 signing day jersey was pulled randomly for photos by the Astros international staff...Is currently signed to a one-year contract for the 2022 season...this Spring Training will be his second with the Major League club.
2021
Named an MiLB.com Organizational All-Star in 2021 after having a strong campaign between Double A Corpus Christi (8g) and Triple A Sugar Land (17g)...combined to go 9-3 with a 3.79 (48ER/114IP) in 25 games (18 starts)...struck out 157 in 114.0 innings pitched, while allowing a .221 opponent average...began the year with the Hooks before a promotion to Sugar Land in June...while with the Skeeters, named the Triple A West Pitcher of the Month in July and the Triple A West Pitcher of the Week on Aug. 29.
2020
Made his Major League debut with the Astros, going 0-1 with a 2.92 ERA (4ER/12.IP) and nine strikeouts in five games (one start)...Bypassed Double-A and Triple-A en route to the Majors, as he had never appeared in a game at those levels prior to making his big league debut...Spent Spring Training at minor league camp, but was added to the Astros player pool prior to the beginning of Summer Camp...Was selected to the Major League roster on Aug. 29...Made his MLB debut on Sept. 4 at LAA in relief of starter Lance McCullers Jr., who did not collect an out in the 1st inning...tossed 4.1 innings, allowing just one hit and one run on a solo homer...struck out two with three walks...entered the game with the bases loaded and no outs in the first inning... stranded two-of-three inherited runners...Per Elias, became the second pitcher in Astros history to go 4.1+ innings while allowing one or fewer hits in his MLB debut, joining Joe Musgrove (Aug. 2, 2016 vs. TOR)...Made his first career start on Sept. 9 at OAK and tossed 5.0 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit with two walks and four strikeouts...Became the Astros fourth homegrown pitcher from Venezuela to make a start for the club, joining J.C. Gutierrez (2007), Fernando Nieve (2006) and Carlos Hernandez (2001)...POSTSEASON: Was on the Astros rosters for both the ALDS and ALCS...ALCS VS. TB: Made one appearance in the postseason, as he started Game 5 of the ALCS vs. TB...tossed 2.0 hitless and scoreless innings, walking two batters with one strikeout...Prior to Garcia, the last American League pitcher to make his first career postseason appearance as a starter in an LCS game was Cleveland’s Ryan Merritt in Game 5 of the 2016 ALCS at TOR (0ER/4.1IP)...At 23 years, 307 days old, became the youngest pitcher to make his postseason debut with a start in the LCS since Tony Saunders (23 years, 164 days) of the Marlins in Game 3 of the 1997 NLCS vs. ATL (2ER/5.1IP)...Became the youngest pitcher in Astros history to start a potential elimination game in the postseason...previous youngest was Lance McCullers Jr. (24 years, 30 days) in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series at LAD (0ER/2.1IP).
