Justin Martinez throws D-backs' second immaculate inning of the season
An immaculate inning (a nine-pitch, three-strikeout inning) is a more rare achievement than a no-hitter.
Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Justin Martinez delivered a rare and impressive performance on Friday, throwing an immaculate inning against the Texas Rangers. The 26-year-old struck out three batters, including Wyatt Langford, Evan Carter, and Jake Burger, each with just three pitches in the sixth frame. Astonishingly, six of the pitchers he faced were clocked above 100 mph.
The feat of throwing an immaculate inning is exceedingly rare, with only 123 such instances recorded in MLB history. Just one other Diamondbacks reliever, Michael Soroka, has managed this feat this season, back on March 30 when he struck out a batter in the fourth inning against the Detroit Tigers. Two other immaculate innings have been thrown in the league so far this season, by Gavin Williams of the Cleveland Guardians on July 23, and Taj Bradley of the Minnesota Twins on August 25.
Martinez, who is in his fourth season with the D-backs, returned from Tommy John surgery last month and has been nearly flawless in his eight appearances since, striking out 11 and allowing only two hits over 7 2/3 innings.
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