Scherzer struck out the side in 9 pitches.
Nationals starter Max Scherzer delivered an immaculate inning on Tuesday night against the Rays.
In the top of the sixth inning, Scherzer struck out Johnny Field, Christian Arroyo and Daniel Robertson with only nine pitches. Five of those pitches were four-seam fastballs at an average of 95.2 mph. Scherzer also tossed two sliders and two changeups.
Scherzer also pitched an immaculate inning last season in May against the Phillies. He began that game dealing with a blister on one of his fingers and then was drilled in his left knee by a line drive that came off of Michael Saunders’s bat in the fourth inning.
After getting hit, Scherzer fell to the ground in pain. He eventually got back up and threw a couple of warmup pitches to determine he was alright. The ace proved he was capable to return to the mound as he threw an immaculate inning in the fifth en route to the Nationals’ 6–5 victory that night.
Scherzer joins rare company, becoming only the fifth pitcher in MLB history to have multiple immaculate innings. Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Sandy Koufax and Lefty Grove are the four others on the list.
This is the second time this season that a pitcher has thrown an immaculate inning. The Orioles’ Kevin Gausman also struck out the side in nine pitches against the Indians on April 23.
The Nationals defeated the Rays 4–2.