Pittsburgh Pirates Pitcher Accomplishes Rare Feat in Baseball History

Pirates starting pitcher Johan Oviedo tossed an immaculate inning on Wednesday afternoon against the Texas Rangers, marking the 114th such inning in baseball history.

The game didn't start great on Wednesday for Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Johan Oviedo, but it's certainly gotten better as we've gone along.

Oviedo allowed a leadoff home run to Marcus Semien of the Texas Rangers, and allowed three first-inning runs in total, but in the top of the fourth? He joined a rare club in baseball history.

Oviedo tossed the ever-rare "immaculate inning," meaning that he threw nine pitches, all strikes, and got three strikeouts.

Johan Oviedo has thrown an immaculate inning

— Justice delos Santos (@justdelossantos) May 24, 2023

According to research, Oviedo's inning is the 114th such inning in baseball history. It's the second such inning tossed this season.

At the time of this posting, the Rangers lead the Pirates, 3-2, in the top of the fifth inning. Both teams are trying to win the series after splitting the first two games.

As of this posting, Oviedo has thrown 4.2 innings, allowing the three runs while striking out five.

This season, he's 3-3 with a 4.85 ERA. He's struck out 48 in 52 innings, while posting a 1.50 WHIP.

For his career, he's 7-14 with a 4.48 ERA. He made his major league debut in 2020 with the St. Louis Cardinals and was acquired by the Pirates within the 2022 season.

Entering play on Wednesday, the Pirates are 25-23 and 1.0 game back of the Brewers in the National League Central.

The Rangers entered play at 30-18 and in first place in the American League West. They are 2.0 games ahead of the Astros. The Rangers are seeking their first playoff spot since 2016.

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