General
immaculate inning
What does immaculate inning mean?
A half-inning in which a pitcher strikes out all three batters on exactly nine pitches, the minimum possible.
"He threw an immaculate inning, nine pitches, three strikeouts."
Origin
American baseball term for the rare nine-pitch, three-strikeout inning.
Frequently asked questions
What is an immaculate inning in baseball?
It's a half-inning where a pitcher strikes out all three batters on exactly nine pitches, the minimum possible.
How rare is an immaculate inning?
It's very rare because it requires every one of the nine pitches to be a called or swinging strike.
Why is it called immaculate?
The nine-pitch, three-strikeout inning is flawless efficiency, so it's dubbed 'immaculate.'
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