On Tuesday night in Arizona, AJ Minter performed a rare pitching feat.
The Atlanta Braves have been playing some of their most complete baseball in recent days, and that trend continued on Tuesday night in Arizona. The Braves benefited from another strong start from Chris Sale and the offense’s ability to score five runs against Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen.
Atlanta won the second game of their four-game series in Phoenix, 6-2, to claim its fourth straight triumph. Adam Duvall extended his hot streak with a three-run homer in the sixth inning. Duvall has a.310 average in his last 11 games, with 13 hits, four doubles, two home runs, seven RBI, and a.903 OPS.
As remarkable as his hot streak has been, lefty reliever AJ Minter may have stolen the show when he performed a rare feat in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Minter only needed three pitches to get the final three outs of Tuesday night’s game. Minter took advantage of the Diamondbacks’ aggressive approach, forcing three groundouts. It even astonished AJ when he flashed the number three to his teammates after recording the final out.
Peak levels of pitching efficiency đď¸
A.J. Minter's three-pitch ninth inning. pic.twitter.com/6AmPix0Atb
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) July 10, 2024
Austin Riley made a spectacular play on a difficult in-between hop to third base for the second out, prompting speculation in the Atlanta broadcast booth. Braves commentator CJ Nitkowski asked his opponent, Brandon Gaudin, “Three-pitch inning?” and screamed, “Oh my gosh. “He did it!” exclaimed Minter as he finished the work.
Minter became the first Atlanta Braves pitcher to achieve this accomplishment since John Smoltz in 2005 against the Cubs. According to Braves insider Kevin McAlpin, the only other pitchers in franchise history to do it are Greg Maddux and Odalis Perez.
As far as I can tell, AJ Minter is the first #Braves pitcher with a three pitch inning since John Smoltz (7/7/2005).
Greg Maddux (5/3/2000; 7/2/1999) and Odalis Perez (5/28/1999) are the only others in franchise history to accomplish the feat.
— Kevin McAlpin (@KevinMcAlpin) July 10, 2024
Furthermore, Baseball Almanac reports that only 118 National League pitchers have accomplished this feat. It has happened twice in 2024, with Minter pitching last night and NL East opponent Aaron Nola completing the feat against the Mets in May.
Clayton Beeter, a Yankees reliever, also pitched a three-pitch, three-out inning against the Astros on March 29, 2024. This event has occurred 86 times in the American League, which, when coupled with the NL data, accounts for only 204 occasions in MLB history.
The Baseball Almanac disclaims the number, saying, “The list below is far from comprehensive.” As previously stated, pitch counts are not officially recorded, so Baseball Almanac discovered each of these instances when they were mentioned in a newspaper story or article accompanying the box score. Sources include Baseball Digest, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and The Sporting News.
So there could be some disagreement in the number of times a pitcher has done this. However, this does not make it any less impressive or interesting to watch. Minter has a 2.59 ERA in 24.1 innings this season, with six walks and 25 strikeouts.
Braves supporters should enjoy the occasion, as it took nearly two decades for an Atlanta pitcher to accomplish this. It could take decades before it happens again.
