Sunday, Miami Marlin‘s pitcher Cal Quantrill pitched an immaculate inning, striking out three batters on nine pitches. Though exceeding rare at one time – none between 1928 and 1953 – definitely more occurrences lately, unsurprising since batter strikeout rate has substantially risen since 2000.
One name caught my eye as I glanced through the list: Moe Berg. On September 27, 1928, he was part of Lefty Grove‘s second immaculate inning in just over a month. Aside from playing 107 games for the 1929 White Sox, he primarily was a backup catcher in what was a fairly unmemorable career.
He’s remembered more for his post-baseball career as a spy during World War II, as written about in The Catcher Was A Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg. Most professional baseball players don’t study at Princeton and the Sorbonne, most don’t speak a dozen languages, none others have their picture displayed at CIA Headquarters. But Moe Berg was someone special.
