Red Sox starter Rick Porcello threw an immaculate inning, striking out the side on nine pitches in the bottom of the fifth of Wednesday’s game against the Rays. He whiffed Trevor Plouffe, Wilson Ramos, and Mallex Smith.
There have already been three immaculate innings this month, thrown by Porcello, the Rays’ Jose Alvarado (August 4), and the Yankees’ Dellin Betances (August 2). Porcello is the eighth pitcher this year to throw an immaculate inning, setting a single-season record. There were seven immaculate innings thrown in 2014. In total, pitchers have thrown 89 immaculate innings, making the feat rarer than a no-hitter (296).
Porcello, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, entered Wednesday’s start with a 5-14 record, a 4.70 ERA, and a 132/28 K/BB ratio in 145 2/3 innings.