Rico Garcia picked up his second career save as the Orioles beat the Marlins 7-4 last night, and the number that followed him off the field was the one that has defined his season: one run allowed, one hit surrendered in 17 innings.
Garcia has made 18 appearances this season and has turned 57 batters into a line that looks almost impossible, with six walks, 19 strikeouts, a 0.53 ERA and a major league-best 0.41 WHIP among relievers. His.020 opponent average is also the best in the majors among relievers, and the only hit he has allowed came on April 21, when Michael Massey homered to end a franchise-record streak of 11 scoreless and hitless appearances to open the season.
That is the kind of start that usually belongs to a locked-in closer or a relief ace with a defined role. Garcia is neither, at least not yet. He has pitched for seven teams, including the Orioles twice, and three clubs employed him last year. Baltimore kept him despite him being out of options, a decision that has paid off in a way the club could not have expected when spring training began.
And even there, Garcia gave hints. He threw 5 2/3 scoreless and hitless innings in camp, with one walk and seven strikeouts, after his stay was interrupted by the World Baseball Classic. What he has done since then has been more than a hot stretch. He has stranded 12 inherited runners without allowing one to score, has faced 29 right-handed batters without allowing a hit, and has now done something no pitcher has done since 1900: allow one hit or fewer through his first 18 appearances.
The tension around Garcia is not about whether he has been good. It is about what the Orioles do with a pitcher who has been this effective without fitting neatly into the late-inning hierarchy. He is not really a closer or a high-profile setup man, but he keeps producing outings that force the club to keep finding him a place.
Last night’s win also had its own thunder early, with Pete Alonso hitting a three-run homer in the first inning off Eury Peréz. Alonso’s shot, which traveled 407 feet to left-center field at 109.5 mph, extended his hitting streak to seven games and gave him three homers and four doubles during that stretch. Taylor Ward drew his 32nd walk to start the rally, and Adley Rutschman was hit by a pitch before Alonso turned the inning into a burst of damage.
Alonso has been punishing Miami for years. He has 57 extra-base hits against the Marlins since making his major league debut in 2019, along with 33 career home runs against them. He has also reached base safely in 25 of his last 26 games in Miami since July 31, 2022, and has piled up 13 doubles, 16 homers and 40 RBIs in 50 games at loanDepot Park.
For Garcia, though, the story remains simpler and stranger than any single save. The Orioles are winning with him, the numbers are historic, and the only thing that has broken the spell all season is a home run that arrived nearly a month ago. What comes next is whether Baltimore keeps treating that as a remarkable run — or starts treating it as the new normal.
