Jul 1, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Brandon Young (63) throws during the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Orioles Rookie Pitcher Pulls Off Extraordinary Feat Against Mets

Originally posted on Baltimore Orioles on SI
By Matt Postins | Last updated Jul 9, 2025 8:00 AM ET

Earlier this season the Baltimore Orioles started the clock on pitcher Brandon Young, calling him up from Triple-A Norfolk.

The rookie has started five games this season and the numbers have been relatively forgettable. He is 0-3 with a 6.14 ERA, with 21 strikeouts and 11 walks in 22 innings.

He drew the start on Tuesday night against the New York Mets and ended up with a no-decision as the game went into extra innings.

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The Mets game might have been his best start to this point. He went 5.1 innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs. He struck out six and walked none.

Three of those strikeouts came in one inning, and that’s where Young joined a rare group of pitchers that have thrown an immaculate inning.

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An immaculate inning is one of the rarest things a pitcher can do in baseball. It means that a pitcher strikes out all three hitters in a single inning, using only nine pitches and all are strikes.

Immaculate. pic.twitter.com/fTI4gOktNS
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) July 9, 2025

Young’s moment came in the fifth inning as he struck out Jesse Winker, Jeff McNeil and Luis Torrens in order, with the requisite nine strikes.

Young, who is one of the Top 30 prospects in the organization, became the fifth pitcher to throw an immaculate inning and the first to do so since 2018.

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MLB.com compiled the whole list:

Jimmy Key -- April 14, 1998, second inning vs. White Sox

Mike Mussina -- May 9, 1998, ninth inning vs. Rays

B.J. Ryan -- Sept. 5, 1999, sixth inning vs. Cleveland

Kevin Gausman -- April 23, 2018, seventh inning vs. Cleveland

Brandon Young -- July 8, 2025, fifth inning vs. Mets

In addition, Young joined a list of 107 pitchers that have thrown an immaculate inning in the history of the game, as compiled by MLB.com. He is the second to do it this year. Miami’s Cal Quantrill did it in May.

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He joined another list of rookies that accomplished the feat. That list includes Sloppy Thurston, Ryan, Wade Miley, Thomas Pannone, Reid Detmers, and Hayden Wesneski.

Now that he has one, Young can join an even more exclusive list of pitchers that have done it twice, including Lefty Grove, Sandy Koufax, Nolan Ryan, Chris Sale, Max Scherzer and Gausman.

Curiously, immaculate innings were hard to come by in the pre-modern and modern era of baseball until the 1990s. From there, pitchers combined for double-digit immaculate innings in each decade, including 37 of them in the 2010s.

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This article first appeared on Baltimore Orioles on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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