Immaculate Inning Alert: Andrew Kittredge Stuns Cubs with Perfection

By Oliver Wiener August 10, 2025 19:02

Andrew Kittredge stunned Cubs fans and baseball enthusiasts alike with a rare feat of pitching perfection, throwing an immaculate inning against the Cincinnati Reds on August 6, 2025. This immaculate inning, where Kittredge struck out three batters on just nine pitches all swinging strikes marked only the sixth such occurrence in Chicago Cubs franchise history and the 120th in Major League Baseball history, underscoring its extraordinary rarity.

Kittredge’s immaculate inning came in the top of the seventh inning at Wrigley Field, with the Cubs leading 2-0. He faced the heart of the Reds’ lineup Austin Hays, Gavin Lux, and catcher Tyler Stephenson and dispatched them all on sliders that produced three consecutive swinging strikeouts without a single ball thrown outside the strike zone. According to Cubs historian Ed Hartig, the previous immaculate inning for Chicago was by Hayden Wesneski in September 2022, joining Cubs legends like LaTroy Hawkins, Bruce Sutter, Lynn McGlothen, and Milt Pappas who have also achieved this feat.

This stellar performance was especially remarkable given Kittredge's contrasting outing the very night before, when he allowed four earned runs in just one-third of an inning against the same Cincinnati Reds, eliciting boos from the Wrigley Field crowd. Demonstrating resilience and determination, Kittredge rebounded in spectacular fashion. “Honestly, it was building off last night where I was not in the zone as much as I like to be,” Kittredge said after his immaculate inning. “And today, I just made more of a conscious effort to be in the zone and it just fell into place”.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell showed confidence by calling Kittredge back to the mound despite the previous day’s struggles. The reward was immediate, as Kittredge’s fastball velocity reached 97 mph, a tick above his season average of 94.4 mph, helping him dominate the Reds’ hitters with pinpoint precision. Cubs catcher Carson Kelly, part of the battery for the immaculate inning, admitted he didn’t realize the significance of what was unfolding until the ninth pitch. "The last pitch is when I realized. I thought, ‘Wow. We went sinker, sinker, slider, sinker, sinker, slider, sinker, sinker... slider?’ It was pretty cool to be part of that," Kelly reflected.

Statistically, immaculate innings are one of baseball’s most elusive feats. Rarer than no-hitters but slightly more common than perfect games, there have only been 120 recorded in MLB history, with a noticeable uptick in recent years averaging around three per season. With only 13 immaculate innings occurring in the last four seasons, Kittredge’s achievement joins a contemporary resurgence of this pitching gem, alongside other recent pitchers such as Cal Quantrill and Brandon Young.

Acquired by the Cubs at the trade deadline from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for infield prospect Wilfri De La Cruz, Kittredge entered the Cubs’ bullpen amid a busy schedule. Despite pitching on 11 of the previous 18 days, the 35-year-old veteran showcased his mental and physical durability with this display of dominance. His ability to quickly recover from a hard outing and deliver such a commanding performance highlights his valuable presence in the Cubs’ late-inning bullpen arsenal.

Andrew Kittredge’s immaculate inning not only etched his name into Chicago Cubs history but also renewed hope for a bullpen that has seen ups and downs this season. His combination of velocity, slider command, and mental toughness on August 6 presented fans with a baseball moment that resembled the precision and artistry that make pitching one of the game’s supreme challenges. This immaculate inning is a testament to Kittredge’s perseverance and skill, leaving Cubs supporters excited to see what he does next.