Newly Acquired Relief Pitcher Makes Rare Chicago Cubs History

What a difference a day can make.

On Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs reliever Andrew Kittredge entered a tie game in the seventh inning. But he left after allowing four hits, four earned runs and a three-run home run while recording just one out in the 5-1 loss. Some Cubs fans booed as he walked to the dugout.

Manager Craig Counsell called upon Kittredge again on Wednesday against the Reds, giving the 35-year-old right-hander a shot at revenge. And he bounced back in a big way.

Kittredge recorded an immaculate inning in the seventh, meaning he threw nine total pitches, all for strikes, resulting in three strikeouts. He struck out Reds designated hitter Austin Hays, second baseman Gavin Lux and catcher Tyler Stephenson with the exact same pitch sequence in each at-bat: two sinkers and a wipeout slider for three swinging strikeouts.

That made Kittredge the sixth pitcher in Cubs history to throw an immaculate inning, per Marquee Network. The Cubs acquired Kittredge in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles last Thursday in exchange for shortstop Wilfri De La Cruz, the Cubs' No. 17 prospect.