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Michael Soroka made his Arizona Diamondbacks debut one to remember.
The 28-year-old pitcher threw a flawless inning in the fifth inning of the Diamondbacks’ 9-6 win over the Detroit Tigers on Monday night at Chase Field. Soroka became just the fourth pitcher in Diamondback history to accomplish the feat.
“It was pretty special,” Soroka said, via MLB.com. “I think I talked to you guys about not putting too much stock in the results, but I think it’s one that’s worth celebrating. Gleyber (Torres) is a good hitter, he’s also pretty passive. So I wanted to make sure it was something in the zone and just give myself a chance to get it done right there. So I played pretty cool out there. But I tried to smile.”
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Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Michael Soroka (34) reacts after striking out a batter to end the inning against the Detroit Tigers at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona on March 30, 2026. (Joe Rondone/The Republic/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Soroka struck out Javier Báez, Kerry Carpenter and Gleyber Torres on nine straight pitches and blasted a 95 mph fastball past Torres for his third strikeout of the inning.
The other Diamondbacks pitchers to throw a flawless inning were Randy Johnson (2001), Byung-Hyun Kim (2002) and Wade Miley (2012).
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Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Michael Soroka works against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning of an Opening Day baseball game in Phoenix, Arizona, March 30, 2026. (Darryl Webb/AP Photo)
Soroka, who signed a one-year, $7.5 million contract with the Diamondbacks this offseason, pitched five shutout innings in the win, tying his career high with 10 strikeouts while allowing just four hits.
Soroka was an All-Star for the Atlanta Braves in 2019 before back-to-back Achilles injuries caused him to miss most of the 2020 season and all of the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He has bounced around the past few seasons, spending time with the Chicago White Sox, Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs.
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Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Michael Soroka works against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning of an Opening Day baseball game in Phoenix, Arizona, March 30, 2026. (Darryl Webb/AP Photo)
The Diamondbacks (1-3) will look to continue their winning ways when they play the Tigers (2-2) in the second game of their three-game set on Tuesday at 9:40 p.m. ET.
