Yamamoto Robbed of Immaculate Inning as Dodgers-Padres Rivalry Ignites

The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres clashed in a heated Thursday showdown, with the Padres edging out a 5-3 victory in their four-game series finale. Tensions boiled over in the ninth inning when Fernando Tatis Jr. took a pitch to the body, sparking a bench-clearing fracas that saw both managers tossed from the game. Adding fuel to the fire, Shohei Ohtani was plunked in the bottom of the inning, intensifying the rivalry’s bad blood.

But the real buzz centered on Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was tantalizingly close to baseball immortality in the third inning. After fanning Bryce Johnson and Martin Maldonado, Yamamoto threw two strikes to Tatis. A third strike would have sealed an immaculate inning—nine pitches, nine strikes, three outs—a rare feat achieved only 116 times in MLB history. But umpire Mark Hudson’s controversial ball call on the third pitch robbed Yamamoto of the milestone, leaving fans and broadcasters stunned.

“That was a strike in any ballpark!” broadcaster Joe Davis roared, while Eric Karros quipped, “Borderline? That was middle-middle!” Many argued the pitch was squarely in the strike zone, yet Hudson’s call stood, denying Yamamoto a place alongside the likes of Miami Marlins’ Cal Quantrill, who notched the most recent immaculate inning last month.

Despite the missed opportunity, Yamamoto struck out the side, showcasing his electric arm. The game, however, was a microcosm of the Dodgers-Padres rivalry—grit, drama, and a touch of chaos.