how many immaculate innings in mlb
Immaculate innings in MLB represent one of baseball's rarest pitching feats. An immaculate inning occurs when a pitcher strikes out all three batters in an inning on exactly nine pitches—three strikes each, with no balls, fouls, or contact. As of mid-2025, records show 114 to 118 such innings across MLB history, depending on the latest tallies.
Defining the Feat
This perfect efficiency has captivated fans since the earliest days of modern baseball. Pitchers must dominate with pinpoint control and swing-and-miss stuff, often against the era's top hitters. While no-hitters grab headlines, immaculate innings quietly showcase surgical precision—think of it as a no- hitter condensed into nine pitches.
Total Count
- Historical tally : Fewer than 120 total, with 114 confirmed as of July 2025 and some sources citing 116 (e.g., Cal Quantrill's in May 2025) or 118.
- Modern surge: Only 31 occurred before the 1990s; the last 30 years account for 83+, thanks to higher strikeout rates and analytics-driven pitching.
- Rate insight: From 1876–1996 (121 seasons), about 0.32 per year; 1997–2016 jumped to nearly 2 per year.
Era| Immaculate Innings| Seasons| Avg per Season
---|---|---|---
Pre-1990s| 31| 121+| ~0.32 39
1990s–2025| 83+| ~35| ~2.4 3
Total| 114–118| 150+| Rare gem 17
Record Holders
Sandy Koufax leads with three immaculate innings , a mark shared by Chris Sale and Max Scherzer in the modern game. No one has four, underscoring the feat's exclusivity—110 pitchers total have done it.
Iconic Moments
- June 15, 2022 : Houston Astros' Luis Garcia and Phil Maton each threw one in the same game vs. Texas Rangers—the first time ever, against the same three batters.
- Recent: Enyel De Los Santos (Sept 2022), Cal Quantrill (May 2025).
- Nolan Ryan pioneered cross-league feats, with two in different AL/NL stints.
Why So Rare?
Strikeouts demand elite velocity and deception, but nine straight called or swinging strikes? Umpires, batter aggression, and sheer luck factor in—forums buzz about "most immaculate" ones with zero called strikes. As strikeout rates climb (hello, pitch clock era), expect a few more, but it'll stay baseball's hidden treasure.
TL;DR: 114–118 immaculate innings in MLB history, mostly modern, with Koufax/Sale/Scherzer at three each. Numbers evolve with each gem—check Baseball Reference for real-time updates.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.