Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Ryan Pepiot made some incredible history during Wednesday's game against the Boston Red Sox.
In the fifth inning, Pepiot threw an immaculate inning, striking out Connor Wong, Wilyer Abreu and Triston Casas.
9 pitches, 9 strikes 😤 Ryan Pepiot tosses an immaculate inning!
An immaculate inning is when a pitcher records three strikeouts while only throwing nine pitches, all of which being strikes.
Five of Pepiot's nine pitches were swinging strikes, two were called strikes and two were fouls.
Pepiot's immaculate inning was just the fourth in Rays history, the last coming when Jose Alvarado accomplished the feat in 2017. It was also only the 117th immaculate inning in Major League history, making it more rare than a no-hitter or a cycle. It was also just the second immaculate inning this season, the only other instance occurring on July 10 when Chicago White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech, struck out three Minnesota Twins hitters.
Pepiot's immaculate inning was part of a great overall performance for the 27-year-old right-hander. He threw six innings of two-hit ball while striking out 12, with his only real blemish coming in the sixth inning when he allowed a solo home run to Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story.
Unfortunately for the Rays, they were unable to take advantage of Pepiot's historic fifth inning, losing 2-1 to the Red Sox.
Ryan Pepiot's 2024 season for the Tampa Bay Rays
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In his first season with the Rays after being the centerpiece in the trade that sent Tyler Glasnow to the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason, Pepiot has impressed. Through 24 starts, Pepiot has an 8-6 record and a 3.64 ERA.
Despite Pepiot's strong season, the Rays have not had as much success as they may have initially hoped for. After Wednesday's loss, they have a 74-78 record and have been effectively out of the postseason race after selling hard at the trade deadline, sending away some of their top players like Randy Arozarena, Isaac Paredes, Zach Eflin and Aaron Civale, among others.
However, Pepiot has shown that he can be a front-end starter for a Rays team that has a talented future and should be much-improved in 2025. Perennial Cy Young-candidate Shane McClanahan is expected to be fully healthy after undergoing Tommy John surgery at the end of last season. 20-year-old shortstop Junior Caminero has impressed after being called up to the Major Leagues and should take a big step. Knowing the Rays, they may have some other surprises up their sleeve as well.
