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After a really great game, it might be said of a pitcher that he was throwing "nothing but strikes." Every once in awhile, at least for one inning, this is completely correct. Some pitchers have the idea that a perfect inning consists of three pitches.
Three fly balls, three groundouts, whatever. Just get it over with and let the defense win it for you. But these pitchers realize the beauty of a truly perfect inning. A nine strike inning. You can imagine how it goes...
The first batter comes up, just wanting to get on base. Strike one-he shakes it off, lucky pitch. Strike two-he swings for it, just over anxious, he'll get the next one. Strike three-he returns to the bench, mumbling something about how the pitch was actually inside. Next guy up. He falls prey to the breaking ball, gets him every time. Two outs. Last one comes to the plate. He has a hungry look in his eye, he'll at least battle for a walk. He is mistaken.
No matter how it happens, when a pitcher's on, he's on. So here's to Sandy Koufax and Nolan Ryan. To Lefty Grove and Randy Johnson. To the men who redefined just what it means to have an immaculate inning. Research by Baseball Almanac.
"(Nolan) Ryan is the only guy who puts fear in me. Not because he can get you out, but because he can kill you." - Jackson, Reggie. Baseball Digest: Nolan Ryan: The Pitcher Batters Hate to Face. December 1974. Page 41.
When Nolan Ryan retired the side on nine pitches / nine strikes with the California Angels he became the first pitcher to accomplish this unique feat once during both the American (1972) & National League (1968). Did you notice who tied The Ryan Express in 2018 / 2019?
Did you know that the first four pitchers in Major League history to accomplish this feat twice, happen to be members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame? The fifth, Max Scherzer, is well on his way to Cooperstown as well...
Did you know that when Danny Jackson threw an immaculate inning (Terry Pendleton, Tom Nieto, Brian Harper) on October 24, 1985, during the seventh frame, it was during Game 5 of the 1985 World Series — the first, and through 2024 , the only postseason immaculate inning in Major League history?
Over one-hundred forty-five years of Major League Baseball history, millions of pitches thrown by thousands of different pitchers and only one-hundred-twelve verified instances (during regular season games) by one-hundred-four different pitchers (80 were right-handed and 24 were left-handed) — this is truly an amazing feat!