CHICAGO – Chicago Cubs reliever Andrew Kittredge experienced a whirlwind of emotions in less than 24 hours. He went from being booed on Tuesday night to pitching a spotless inning on Wednesday afternoon against the Cincinnati Reds. Kittredge, 35, needed nine pitches in the top of the seventh inning on Wednesday, striking out the three batters he faced. It was the first immaculate inning by a Cubs pitcher since Hayden Wesneski achieved it in 2022. The pitcher remembered that it was the first time he had achieved something like that.
Kittredge not only struck out Austin Hays, Gavin Lux, and Tyler Stephenson, but he did it using the same pitch sequence.I was aware of it after the second punch. It was something great.
Andrew Kittredge
The receiver paused for a second remembering the idea that maybe he should have changed that last pitch, but the slider worked, as all three batters struck out swinging. This moment came less than a day after Kittredge, acquired from the Baltimore Orioles last week, suffered the loss after allowing four runs in 0.1 innings against the Reds. He was booed by the crowd that filled the stadium after being removed from the game.We went with sinker, sinker, slider. Sinker, sinker, slider. Sinker, sinker… ?slider? It was great to be a part of that.
Carson Kelly
I try not to pay attention to that. I hope to hear more cheers than boos… I wasn’t in the zone as much as I would like (last night). Today I made a more conscious effort to be in the zone. Somehow, everything clicked.
Andrew KittredgeKittredge highlighted the confidence his manager showed in putting him back in a close game after a bad one. His immaculate entry came when the Cubs were winning 2-0, before they added more runs at the end of the game to avoid being swept by Cincinnati.That’s what it’s all about being a Major League reliever. Things don’t go your way the night before and they ask you to go out and perform in the same situation, and you do.
Craig Counsell
