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Cubs Reliever Accomplished Extremely Rare MLB Feat in Win vs. Reds

Andrew Kittredge tossed an immaculate inning Wednesday.
Andrew Kittredge tossed an immaculate inning for the Cubs
Andrew Kittredge tossed an immaculate inning for the Cubs | Screengrab via Marquee Sports Network

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Andrew Kittredge accomplished a feat rarely seen in baseball history. In Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds, he struck out three straight batters in just nine pitches for an incredibly rare immaculate inning.

It was Kittredge's only inning of the game, and he was sure to make quick work of it. He got each punch out on nasty sliders that ended up getting the Reds' bats to chase and sent his squad back to the dugout in short order.

Miami Marlins starter Cal Quantrill tossed an immaculate inning earlier this season, which is mathematically even more rare than throwing a perfect game. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto came close this season too, but was robbed of the feat on a very iffy call.

Cubs catcher Carson Kelly admitted he didn't even realize the immaculate inning was in play until the last pitch.

"I was like wow, he went sinker, sinker, slider, sinker, sinker, slider, sinker, sinker, slider," Kelly said postgame with a smirk, via Marquee Sports Network. "It was pretty cool to be a part of that and I think we kept the ball so, I don't know what he's going to do with it but all-in-all, pretty special."

Kittredge was acquired by the Cubs at last week's trade deadline and was booed Tuesday after he let up four runs in less than an inning against the Reds. He took that personally, and gave the fans at Wrigley Field something immaculate to cheer for the next day.


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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a writer at Sports Illustrated, primarily covering the NBA and WNBA. Before joining SI in November 2024 as a breaking/trending news writer, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation and A10Talk. He’s an alum of both Michigan State and St. Bonaventure University, receiving a master’s degree from the Bonnies’ sports journalism program. Outside of work, he’s a husband, father, yogi and fairly mediocre tennis player who’s open to any tips on how to play defense in EA Sports College Football.