It’s been a bad week for umpires, with some very dodgy errors being made. One such error happened last night in what should have been a slice of baseball history between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres —a moment so rare that it’s only occurred 116 times since the dawn of the sport—and how it slipped through the cracks thanks to one very questionable call.
We’re talking about Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto being this close to pulling off the elusive immaculate inning.
What Is an Immaculate Inning, and Dodgers Pitcher Was Right There
If you’re not familiar with what an immaculate inning is, it’s one of baseball’s most extraordinary little oddities. Three batters. Nine pitches. Nine strikes. Total domination in its purest form. It’s something even seasoned vets rarely achieve. And Yamamoto was right there. He’d already fanned Martin Maldonado and Bryce Johnson on six straight pitches. That’s six strikes, zero mercy. The crowd could feel it. The broadcast booth was locked in. And then, up steps Fernando Tatis Jr.
The Call That Changed Everything
Yamamoto paints the zone. First pitch? Strike. Second pitch? Strike. He’s now up 0-2 on Tatis, and here comes pitch number nine—this one should have sealed the deal. A pristine fastball clips the edge of the plate. But Marvin Hudson, the home plate umpire, calls it a ball. A ball.
You could hear the collective groan from the Dodgers’ dugout. The broadcast replay left fans and analysts scratching their heads. Because this wasn’t a borderline call—it was right there, living rent-free in the strike zone. Yamamoto, to his credit, stayed locked in and eventually struck Tatis out on the tenth pitch. Still struck out the side. Still dazzling. But the immaculate inning? Gone.
The Rarity That Makes It Sting
And for context—because this isn’t just about one blown call—there have only been 116 immaculate innings in the entire history of Major League Baseball. That’s it. Cal Quantrill was the last to do it, pitching for the Marlins against the Rays. This wasn’t just another stat on the box score—it could have been a historic milestone.
Yamamoto still delivered a jaw-dropping performance, and the Dodgers still got their outs. But if you’re a baseball fan, you know how these moments live on. And Thursday night’s “almost” will stick in our minds—not because it didn’t happen, but because it should have.
