Michael King Throws First Immaculate Inning in History of Yankees-Red Sox Rivalry

New York Yankees starting pitcher Michael King threw an immaculate inning against the Boston Red Sox, the first in the history of the Yankees Red Sox rivalry
Michael King Throws First Immaculate Inning in History of Yankees-Red Sox Rivalry
Michael King Throws First Immaculate Inning in History of Yankees-Red Sox Rivalry /

NEW YORK — Allowing a three-run home run in the top of the first, it's fair to say Michael King's outing against the Red Sox on Friday night didn't get off to the best start. 

A few innings later, however, the right-hander made it clear that he had settled in just fine. In fact, he pitched his way into the history books. 

King delivered an immaculate inning in the fourth frame, striking out Hunter Renfroe, Marwin Gonzalez and Christian Vazquez on nine pitches. 

It's the seventh immaculate inning in Yankees franchise history and the first ever in a game between the Yankees and Red Sox. 

King started the inning by getting Renfroe to swing through a two-strike sinker at the bottom of the zone. Next, Gonzalez whiffed on a perfectly placed breaking ball in on his hands. Vazquez ended the inning chasing another curveball, this one biting off the outside corner. 

It's the first immaculate inning by a Yankees pitcher since reliever Dellin Betances was perfect for a frame against the Tigers in 2017.

After the game, King said he knew he was working with a potential immaculate inning as early as the first strikeout of the frame.

"Then once I got eight strikes in a row, and I was trying to throw a curveball away to Vasquez, I was like, 'I gotta try to execute this one to get it,'" King said.

The three-run blast with two outs in the first, off the bat of Rafael Devers, casts a shadow over King's performance, though. The right-hander limited the damage from there, finishing the day with four runs allowed on six hits with five strikeouts, but with no run support, King's immaculate inning ends up as nothing more than a footnote in a 5-2 loss.

"I'd rather win a game than throw an immaculate inning," King said.

MORE:

Follow Max Goodman on Twitter (@MaxTGoodman), be sure to bookmark Inside The Pinstripes and check back daily for news, analysis and more.


Published
Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.