San Francisco Giants: Brandon Belt twenty-one pitch at bat sets MLB record, or so we think
San Francisco Giants star Brandon Belt grinded through a twenty-one pitch at-bat, setting a Major League record, or so we think
San Francisco Giants Brandon Belt made MLB history (maybe) when he went twenty-one pitches against rookie Jamie Barria of the Los Angeles Angels in the first inning. The at-bat had sixteen foul balls over the course of twelve minutes and forty-five seconds.
The average length of half an inning of baseball is just under ten minutes. People in the stands likely had enough time to go and get a beer or go to the bathroom and come back in time to see the end of the at-bat, which resulted in a lineout to right field.
They may have thought it was his next time to the plate by the time they returned, especially if they had a few cold beverages to drink.
Pitch chart for Brandon Belt's at-bat, which lasted 12 minutes, 45 seconds ⏳
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) April 22, 2018
#SFGiants pic.twitter.com/GsrkeJGvPj
The reason I added the caveat of “maybe” in the first paragraph is due to play-by-play tracking. Such statistics only were started recording in the 1987-1988 season, so with roughly one hundred years of baseball being played before that season, it’s possible and likely that someone may have had a longer at-bat.
Not only was Brandon Belt setting records, but he also was racking up a fat bill in the process.
$133.28: What Brandon Belt cost the Angels by fouling off 16 balls in one at bat. Home teams pay a wholesale rate of about $8.33 per ball. pic.twitter.com/lrmRkplKQ7
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 22, 2018
I’m sure the San Francisco Giants didn’t mind forking out that pricey tab. It’s worth every, single penny.
The day wasn’t done for Belt, however. Later in the 5th inning, he crushed a home run to right field to put the San Francisco Giants up 4-0.
Brandon Belt had a day to remember
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) April 23, 2018
#SFGiants pic.twitter.com/6ElovLx0g9
The San Francisco Giants later won the game 4-2 and improved to 9-12 on the season.
The season has been rough for the Bay Area team, who were looking to have a good year after trading for Andrew McCutchen and Evan Longoria.
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However, if Brandon Belt can produce in every game like he did against the Angels on Sunday, the San Francisco Giants have a lot to look forward to. In a division full of talent across the board, the Giants are going to need Belt to have days like this throughout the season if they are looking to make the playoffs.