Brian Lawrence tossed the San Diego Padres’ first (and only) immaculate inning, 17 years ago today.
An immaculate inning is when a pitcher strikes out an inning’s only three batters, each on three pitches.
In the third inning of a Wednesday, June 12, 2002, game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Lawrence struck out Brock Fordyce, Jerry Hairston and Melvin Mora on a total of nine pitches to notch just the 55th Immaculate Inning in major-league history. There are currently 95 of such accomplishments on record, with four coming in the 2018 season and three this season:
- Kevin Gausman, Baltimore Orioles, April 23, 2018
- Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals, June 5, 2018
- German Marquez, Colorado Rockies, Aug. 8, 2018
- Zac Rosscup, Los Angeles Dodgers, Aug. 19, 2018
- Josh Hader, Milwaukee Brewers, March 30, 2019
- Thomas Pannone, Toronto Blue Jays, April 14, 2019
- Chris Sale, Boston Red Sox, May 8, 2019
Watch Lawrence’s inning here:
