Since 1889, a Major League Baseball player has needed to take four balls in one plate appearance to earn first base via the walk.
On Friday night, though, Athletics hitter Seth Brown reinvented the game for one moment.
Brown walked on five balls.
Video evidence that emerged Saturday showed Brown indeed took five pitches outside of the strike zone, all called balls, and didn't go to first base until the fifth one.
Last night, Seth Brown saw FIVE pitches called balls before taking his walk and no one noticed pic.twitter.com/EHGSlnLAz7
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) March 30, 2025
That last pitch came on a 3-2 count. Imagine the extra uproar if Brown had made an out after already having seen four pitches called out of the strike zone.
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It might not mean much in the grand scheme of the season, especially given the low expectations for the nomadic Athletics.
And maybe this has happened before, although likely hardly ever. Usually the hitter is well aware that he's drawn a walk.
Brown, though, really wanted to show off how good his eye was. Message received.
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