Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale joins Sandy Koufax as only pitchers with 3 immaculate innings

BOSTON (AP) — Red Sox ace Chris Sale joined Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax as the only pitchers on record with three immaculate innings when he struck out the side against Minnesota on nine pitches Thursday night.

Sale was making his third start for Boston since returning from Tommy John surgery that also sidelined him for the entire 2020 season.  

He struck out the Twins' Nick Gordon, Andrelton Simmons and Rob Refsnyder on three pitches each in the top of the third inning. Refsnyder was fooled by a low slider and failed to check his swing on the final pitch.

Sale's other immaculate innings came less than a month apart in 2019 when he did it against Baltimore on May 8 and Kansas City on June 5.

“Today was probably the best my mechanics have been start-to-finish. I really felt like I was staying on top of the baseball," said Sale, who finished with eight strikeouts in 5⅓ innings in the Red Sox's 12-2 win. 

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"I really kind of found it out in the bullpen before the game." 

Koufax completed his immaculate innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers between 1962-64. Sale is the first Red Sox pitcher to throw an immaculate inning at Fenway Park since Pedro Martinez did so on May 18, 2002 against Seattle.  

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