Baseball is such a long and grueling daily grind that sometimes it’s hard to focus on, let along see the end result. The journey is the thing in this game and the play-by-play doesn’t always tell the whole story.
Brandon Belt fouls off 16 pitches in a single at-bat
Ties modern MLB record with a 21-pitch AB
Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
For instance, here is San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt ‘s first-inning at bat against Angels pitcher Jaime Barria:
Brandon Belt lines out to right fielder Kole Calhoun.
A simple fly out to right field was the result, and at first glance certainly nothing worthy of note, especially in just one at-bat in one game of 162 over the course of a long season. But how Barria and Belt reached their conclusion was the stuff of legend.
That fly ball to right field came on the 21st pitch of the at-bat!
Belt fouled 16 pitches off in that at-bat alone, and the total number of pitches seen tied a major league record.
Belt’s at-bat made MLB Gameday look like a Jackson Pollock painting:
Though Belt wasn’t immediately rewarded in his epic 21-pitch encounter, Belt did single in his next at-bat against Barria, then homered against Blake Parker in the fifth inning. Belt fouled off seven more pitches in those two at-bats, giving him an outrageous 23 fouls in just three at-bats in Anaheim.
Barria bore the brunt of Belt’s bias, needing 77 pitches to record only six outs in his start. Barria faced three batters in the third, including Belt, but couldn’t record an out. Belt in two at-bats saw 29 of those 77 pitches.
Patience is a virtue, after all.
UPDATE: Barria after the game was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake, making for quite a long day despite his short yet taxing outing.
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