A Giants player set a new MLB record with a 21-pitch, 13-minute at-bat that included 16 foul balls - and it ended in a routine fly ball

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A Giants player set a new MLB record with a 21-pitch, 13-minute at-bat that included 16 foul balls - and it ended in a routine fly ball

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Brandon Belt

AP Photo/Chris Carlson

Brandon Belt gave an admirable performance at the plate on Sunday, but after fouling off balls for 13 minutes, he still couldn't get on base.

  • Brandon Belt and Jaime Barria had a duel for the ages on Sunday, setting the record for most pitches in an at-bat.
  • Belt fouled off 11 consecutive pitches at one point during the 21-pitch marathon that took nearly 13 minutes, before eventually flying out to right field.
  • The Giants would go on to win the game, 4-2, thanks in part to a home run from Belt, who has been on a tear of late.


Brandon Belt set an MLB record on Sunday after fighting through a grueling 21-pitch at-bat against Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jaime Barria. After starting the at-bat 1-2, Belt was able to work the count full, and then proceeded to foul off 11 consecutive pitches before finally putting a ball in play.

The exhausting plate appearance, which also included multiple pick-off attempts to first base, took up almost 13 minutes during the first inning of the game and ended somewhat comically with a line out to right field.

You can watch the entire at-bat below - even sped up, it still takes nearly two minutes to get through.

The at-bat broke the record held by Ricky Gutierrez, who faced off against Bartolo Colon in 1998 for a 20-pitch duel.

Predictably, Belt's marathon at the plate produced a few chaotic graphics, inlcuidng this one from the folks at Comcast Sports.

"I wasn't going to give it up, and the pitcher wasn't either,'' Belt said of the at-bat after the game. "It made for a good battle. If it helped get me a little bit locked in for later in the game, it was worth it.''

Belt also conceded that he felt a little sorry for all the other players on the field, as he's no fan of extended at-bats himself. "If I'm in the field and somebody does it, I can't stand it, but I wasn't going to give in,'' Belt said. "I basically had to apologize to everybody after that.''

While Belt's nearly quarter of an hour at the plate didn't get him on base in the first inning, it did help push Barria - who was making just his second career major league start - to a pitch count of 49 in the first inning alone. When Belt made it back to the plate in the third inning, he took another eight pitches before singling to load the bases, prompting the Angels to pull Barria after 77 pitches and 2.0 innings of work - 38% of the pitches Barria threw on Sunday were to Belt.

In the fifth inning, Belt would hit a home run off of reliever Blake Parker in a nine-pitch at-bat, marking his fourth-consecutive game with a home run, and helping the Giants to their eventual 4-2 victory in Los Angeles.

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