Brandon Belt worked the count.
The San Francisco Giants first baseman broke the Major League Baseball record for most pitches seen in an at-bat with 21 against Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jaime Barria in the top of the first inning at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif.
The previous high of 20 pitches in a plate appearance since 1988 was when Houston's Ricky Gutierrez struck out against Cleveland's Bartolo Colon on June 26, 1998, according to Retrosheet. The Associated Press reported Sunday that records for pitches per at-bat have been kept since 1988.
Here's how the at-bat went for Belt:
• Foul (0-1), Ball (1-1), Swinging strike (1-2), Foul, Foul, Ball (2-2), Foul, Foul, Ball (3-2), Foul, Foul, Foul, Foul, Foul, Foul, Foul, Foul, Foul, Foul, Foul, Flyout.
That's right, Belt had 11 consecutive foul balls after getting the count to 3-2.
Angels pitching coach Charles Nagy made a mound visit to check on Barria after the Belt at-bat. Barria had thrown nine pitches to Joe Panik, who hit a leadoff single, before throwing 21 to Belt.
Barria threw 49 pitches in the first inning. He loaded the bases with one out before retiring Evan Longoria and Pablo Sandoval. He was pulled from the game after the Giants loaded the bases with no outs in the third having thrown 77 pitches.
All wasn't lost for Belt, though, on Sunday.
Belt homered off Blake Parker (Fayetteville/Arkansas Razorbacks) in the top of the fifth inning to give the Giants a 5-0 lead.
Ichiro done?
Larry Stone of The Seattle Times believes that while most Seattle Mariners fans appreciate 44-year-old outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, it's time for the team to release him.
"The Ichiro moment of truth is coming quickly.
"The Mariners are doing everything within their power to put it off as long as they can, juggling the roster with moves that delay the inevitable, but you can see where this is going.
"Heck, you could see it coming the day in early March they signed Ichiro after Ben Gamel went down. It was a feel-good event, bringing back the icon for one last fling, and Ichiro got his deserved ovation on Opening Day and many more after. But at some point, everyone knew, there was going to be a reckoning.
"And it's here now. Gamel is back in the lineup. The Mariners have five active outfielders, one more than any team needs. And by any measure -- other than career achievement -- Ichiro is a distant fifth.
"Sadly, it's time.
"It would not be easy for the organization to part ways with Ichiro, who has meant so much to the Mariners, and to Seattle. Yet this is the scenario that they set up the moment they brought him in. It was not in their winter blueprint to have a 44-year-old outfielder on the roster, and he has shown nothing in his play this season to warrant a change to make it so. If they choose to go another route, concoct more maneuvering to keep him on the roster, it will look like they care more about nostalgia and gate sales than winning.
"I was at Candlestick Park, working, on May 28, 1989, when Mike Schmidt played his final game for the Philadelphia Phillies. He went 0-for-3, saw his average drop to .203, and decided that, at age 39, he had reached the end of the line. The next day, Schmidt announced his retirement.
"There's no shame in running out of time. It happens to everyone -- even the great Ichiro."
Sports on 04/23/2018