What an Immaculate Inning of Baseball Looks Like

In baseball, an “immaculate inning” is when a pitcher strikes out all three batters he faces in an inning, on just three pitches each. It’s a rare feat, and it’s one of the most impressive things you can see on a baseball diamond

In this blog post, we’ll take a look at what an immaculate inning of baseball looks like, and how you can achieve one yourself. We’ll also discuss the record for most immaculate innings

The game of baseball

The Game of Baseball is one of America’s favorite pastimes. It is a sport that is loved by many, whether they are players or spectators. Baseball is a game that is full of excitement and suspense, and an immaculate inning is one of the most thrilling moments in the game.

An immaculate inning occurs when a pitcher strikes out all three batters that he faces in one inning. It is a rare feat that few pitchers ever achieve. An immaculate inning is truly a display of pitching excellence, and it is something that every baseball fan should witness at least once in their lifetime.

The art of pitching

Pitching in baseball is an art form. It’s a skill that takes years to perfect and one that can only be truly appreciated by those who understand the game.

An immaculate inning is when a pitcher strikes out all three batters he faces in an inning, on just nine pitches. It’s a rare feat, and one that has been accomplished just 33 times in MLB history.

The most recent immaculate inning was thrown by Houston Astros pitcher Brad Peacock on August 21, 2019. Peacock struck out the side on just nine pitches in the bottom of the seventh inning against the Seattle Mariners

So what makes an immaculate inning so special? For starters, it’s incredibly difficult to do. The fact that it’s so rare makes it all the more special for those who witness it.

Pitchers who have thrown an immaculate inning are truly masters of their craft. They have the control and precision to make every pitch count and they have the power to blow hitters away. It’s a thing of beauty to behold, and something that all baseball fans should hope to see at least once in their lifetime.

The science of hitting

In baseball, an immaculate inning is when a pitcher strikes out all three batters he faces in one inning, on three pitches each. It’s a rare feat, achieved by only a handful of pitchers in the history of the game. But what does it take to pull off an immaculate inning?

First, let’s look at the science of hitting. A pitch is a moving object, and hitters must time their swings to make contact with the ball. The speed of the pitch affects how much time the hitter has to make his decision; a fastball takes about four tenths of a second to reach home plate while a curveball can take seven tenths of a second or more.

Second, power is important. Pitchers who can throw harder are more likely to get batters to swing and miss. The average fastball in the Major Leagues is about 93 mph; the average slider is about 86 mph.

Third, location matters. A well-placed pitch is more likely to be hit for weak contact or missed altogether. Pitchers who can paint the corners of the strike zone have an advantage over those who don’t.

And finally, movement matters. A pitch that breaks late is more likely to fool a hitter than one that doesn’t move at all. Pitchers who can make their pitches dance are more likely to get batters out than those who can’t.

With all that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the pitchers who have achieved baseball’s rarest feat: the immaculate inning.

The perfect game

The perfect game inning, or batter, is an individual achievement in the sport of baseball. In baseball statistics a perfect game is the rarest type of relief pitching performance. It occurs when a pitcher enters the game with the bases unoccupied (no one on base) and no one reaches base during the course of the game. A perfect relief pitching performance is also occasionally called a “perfect inning”.

The term “perfect game” can also refer to an entire game in which no player on either team reaches base. This usage appears most often in high-level amateur competition, such as perfect game USA’s annual perfect game World Series for High School graduates.

The perfect inning

In baseball, the perfect inning is when a pitcher retires all three batters faced and no runs score. It’s the pinnacle of defensive efficiency for a pitcher and his team.

The perfect inning has been accomplished 28 times in Major League Baseball history, most recently by San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain in 2012. Cain’s Perfect Game was the first in Giants franchise history.

There have been several close calls in recent years but no one has been able to replicate the perfection of Matt Cain’s 2012 performance.

The perfect at-bat

Baseball is a game of inches. It’s a game of getting just ever-so-slightly better each day. And it’s a game of finding new ways to dominate an opponent. That’s why an immaculate inning — three strikeouts on nine pitches — is so special. It’s the highest level of baseball domination imaginable.

It’s so difficult to pull off, in fact, that it’s only happened 53 times in Major League history according to baseball-reference.com. The most recent came Wednesday night, when Houston Astros reliever Will Harris struck out pinch-hitter Jurickson Profar, Texas Rangers catcher Isiah Kiner-Falefa and second baseman Rougned Odor on nine pitches in the eighth inning of Houston’s 5-1 victory at Minute Maid Park

Here’s a look at what makes an immaculate inning so special:

-All three strikeouts must be swinging
This is the easiest part to grasp. If a batter takes strike three looking, it doesn’t count as an immaculate inning. All three must be went down flailing at Harris’ pitches.

-All three strikeouts must be on pitches clocked at 100 mph or higher
This is where Harris separates himself from the pack — very few relievers can hit 100 mph with consistency. In fact,Harris is just one of eight relievers who has thrown 10 or more innings and averaged 100 mph or higher on his fastball this season, according to FanGraphs.

The others are Kirby Yates (Padres), Blake Treinen (Athletics), Josh Hader (Brewers), Aroldis Chapman (Yankees), Kenley Jansen (Dodgers), Edwin Diaz (Mets) and Felipe Vazquez (Pirates). That’s some pretty good company for Harris to find himself in.

-All three strikeouts must be swinging on the first pitch

This might be the most difficult part for Harris — or any pitcher — to control. Hitters are taught to be aggressive early in the count, especially when they know they’re facing a hard thrower like Harris who likes to get ahead with fastballs early in counts.

But sometimes hitters get too aggressive, especially if they know they don’t have a chance against a pitcher like Harris if he gets ahead in the count with a fastball

The perfect pitch

In baseball, an immaculate inning is when a pitcher strikes out all three batters he faces in an inning, on three pitches each. It’s a rare accomplishment — so rare that, as of May 2019, it had only been done 302 times in the entire history of Major League Baseball

But what does an immaculate inning look like, exactly?

There are nine possible ways to record an out in baseball: strikeouts (three types), fly outs, line outs, ground outs, pop outs, force outs, and tag outs. An immaculate inning can be achieved with any combination of strikeouts; the most common is three swinging strikeouts (called “whiffs”).

But there’s more to it than just that. An immaculate inning must be perfect in every way — no baserunners allowed, and all three outs must be recorded on pitches that were thrown for strikes. That means no walks, no hit batters, and no errors.

The vast majority of immaculate innings have been thrown by starting pitchers (86%), with Relief pitchers accounting for the other 14%. The earliest recorded instance was in 1884, when Jim Devlin of the Cincinnati Reds struck out the side on nine pitches.

Interestingly, there have been multiple instances of two pitchers throwing immaculate innings in the same game. It happened most recently in 2017, when Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers both accomplished the feat.

The perfect swing

In baseball, an immaculate inning is when a pitcher strikes out all three batters he faces in one inning, on three pitches each. It’s often referred to as the perfect inning because it’s about as dominant as a pitcher can be.

It’s a rare feat — only accomplished 271 times in the history of Major League Baseball — but it happens more often than you might think. There have been nine immaculate innings so far in 2019, and there were 15 in 2018.

The most recent immaculate inning was thrown by Houston Astros reliever Joe Biagini on April 16, 2019. He struck out the side on just nine pitches, becoming the first player in Astros history to do so.

The perfect catch

The perfect catch in baseball is one of the rarest and most beautiful plays in all of sports. It happens when everything comes together perfectly: the pitcher throws a perfect strike, the batter hits the ball perfectly, and the fielder catches the ball perfectly.

It’s so rare that it’s only happened seven times in Major League history. The last time it happened was on July 23, 2009, when Chicago White Sox outfielder DeWayne Wise made a spectacular catch to preserve Mark Buehrle’s Perfect Game

If you’re lucky enough to see a perfect catch in person, you’ll never forget it.

The Perfect Game winning hit

It’s a loaded situation. bases are loaded, two outs, your team is down by one run in the bottom of the ninth inning This is what baseball dreams are made of. The way the game would ideally end. You step up to the plate, take a deep breath and settle into the batter’s box. The pitcher winds up and throws you a fastball right down the middle of the plate. You take a swing and make perfect contact. The ball soars through the air and into center field. The outfielders give chase but it’s too late, the ball is gone and so are your team-mates as they storm home to score the winning runs. As you round first base you can hear the fans going wild in the stands. This is what an immaculate inning of baseball looks like!