Taj Bradley Throws First Immaculate Inning in Twins History

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Taj Bradley made franchise history during the fifth inning of a game against the Athletics by throwing the team's first-ever immaculate inning. The 25-year-old right-hander struck out three consecutive hitters on just nine pitches. Bradley entered the frame tasked with keeping Minnesota within striking distance after surrendering two runs in the second inning.

He accomplished the feat by executing nine continuous strikes to retire the heart of the Athletics order. The historic sequence began against Carlos Cortes, who had hit a two-run homer off Bradley earlier in the contest. Bradley established the at-bat with two quick fastballs before inducing a swing-and-miss on a sharp splitter below the strike zone for the first out.

Catcher Brian Serven followed and swung at all three offerings, ultimately whiffing on a curveball for the second strikeout. Bradley completed the immaculate inning by throwing three straight called strikes past center fielder Henry Bolte.

Despite the achievement, the Athletics countered in the sixth inning. After Bradley recorded two quick outs, Oakland strung together three consecutive hits—a single, a double, and another single—to extend their lead over the Twins to four runs. Bradley finished his outing allowing four earned runs over 5.2 innings pitched as Minnesota's manager monitored the workload following the sixth-inning damage.