Following a pair of flawless outings for the Chicago Cubs, Andrew Kittredge encountered a setback in his third appearance.
His subsequent appearance? It resulted in the sixth instance of an immaculate inning in the team’s history.
On Wednesday, the seasoned relief pitcher achieved the feat of striking out three batters on just nine pitches during the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds. The batters who fell victim to this were Austin Hays, Gavin Lux, and Tyler Stephenson, all of whom struck out swinging.
Immaculate innings, while not as widely recognized as other single-game achievements in baseball, are quite rare. With only 120 occurrences in MLB history, they are closer in rarity to perfect games (24) than no-hitters (326). However, their frequency has been increasing, with 13 occurring in the past four seasons.
Cal Quantrill of the Miami Marlins and Brandon Young of the Baltimore Orioles are the other pitchers who have thrown immaculate innings this season.
Kittredge, who was acquired by the Cubs at the trade deadline in exchange for infield prospect Wilfri De La Cruz, etched his name in the record books just one day after receiving boos from the Wrigley Field crowd. He surrendered four earned runs in a single inning, ultimately taking the loss in a 5-1 defeat against the Reds.
Immaculate innings often catch both spectators and even players off guard. The Cubs’ broadcast team initially praised Kittredge for his strong bounce-back performance, striking out the side, until a graphic revealed the “immaculate inning,” and Cubs catcher Carson Kelly admitted he didn’t grasp the significance until the ninth pitch:
“I realized it on the last pitch. I thought, ‘Wow. We went sinker, sinker, slider; sinker, sinker, slider; sinker, sinker… slider?’ It was pretty special to be a part of that.”
Kittredge, a nine-year MLB veteran, had a solid performance during his half-season with the Orioles — a performance that ultimately led to his trade as the team shifted its focus away from the 2025 season. He was one of four players brought in by the Cubs at the deadline, including fellow reliever Taylor Rogers, utility player Willi Castro, and starting pitcher Michael Soroka, whose situation remains uncertain.
