Boston Red Sox rookie left-hander Payton Tolle achieved an immaculate inning during Sunday's game against the Kansas City Royals, retiring the top of the lineup on just nine pitches.
The 23-year-old pitcher attacked the strike zone, throwing primarily four-seam fastballs and one sinker to strike out Jac Caglianone for the final out of the inning. This marks the 125th immaculate inning in Major League Baseball history and the eighth in Red Sox franchise history since 1901.
Tolle is the first Red Sox pitcher to accomplish this since Chris Sale in 2021. He is also the first to do so in the opening inning since Pedro Martinez in May 2002. The only contact the Royals managed during the inning was a foul ball on the seventh pitch.
In addition to the immaculate inning, Tolle finished the game with six shutout innings, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out seven batters on 96 pitches. He secured a 4-1 victory for the Red Sox. His seven strikeouts brought his rookie season total to 166, placing him second in Red Sox history for a rookie, behind Daisuke Matsuzaka's 201 strikeouts in 2007.
Just a day prior to this performance, Tolle had expressed his views on the trend of limiting starting pitchers with strict pitch counts. He stated his preference for a more old-school approach, believing starters should aim to pitch complete games. The Red Sox are currently in contention for an American League wild-card spot.