The Arizona Diamondbacks were feeling pretty good Monday after watching offseason pitching acquisition Mike Soroka pay immediate dividends.
Soroka looked untouchable in his debut start with the Diamondbacks against the Detroit Tigers at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz. Soroka gave up just four hits and a walk across his first four innings, then turned it up a notch in his fifth and final inning of action.
The 1-time All-Star threw an immaculate inning, striking out Javier Baez, Kerry Carpenter, and Gleyber Torres in rapid succession.
IMMACULATE INNING FOR MICHAEL SOROKA!
— MLB (@MLB) March 31, 2026
10 strikeouts through 5 innings in his @Dbacks debut! pic.twitter.com/M9hopu3jxN
Soroka did get some help from a generous strike zone courtesy of home plate umpire Todd Tichenor, but some of the swings and misses he got Monday were downright filthy. He finished with 10 strikeouts in the Diamondbacks’ home opener, which got quite the applause from a pleasantly surprised capacity crowd.
Soroka joined Randy Johnson, Byung-Hyun Kim, and Wade Miley as the only pitchers in Diamondbacks history to throw an immaculate inning. To do it in a completely different environment with a new catcher in his Arizona debut made it even more impressive.
The Diamondbacks’ decision to take a flier on Soroka in December is already looking smart. The real challenge for Soroka, however, is to stay healthy the rest of the season, as Soroka has battled through a couple of serious leg injuries over the years.
