This was one of those at bats where the rest of the world disappears.
Tristan Peters was hitting for the Chicago White Sox. Gavin Williams was pitching for the Cleveland Guardians. And the battle wouldn’t end.
It took 18 pitches to reach a conclusion.
Peters said it felt like an hour.
And even if you watch every MLB game for the rest of the year, you might not see another plate appearance like this one.
Inside Tristan Peters’ 18-Pitch Walk
The White Sox needed a win on this night to maintain first place in the AL Central over the Guardians, and Peters wasn’t going to take a single pitch off.
Any way to get on base is a good way to get on base with so much on the line.
The game was still scoreless at the time, so the walk ended up meaning everything.
Williams started Peters with a curveball, ball one.
He then fired two 97 mile per hour fastballs for called strikes to go up 1-2.
Peters fouled off a fastball, then a curveball, then a sweeper, then another fastball to get seven pitches into the plate appearance.
The eighth pitch was a curveball buried in the dirt, a ball, 2-2.
Then Peters fouled off a curve, a heater, a sweeper, a cutter, another curveball and a 98 mile per hour fastball.
The 15th pitch was ball three, a sweeper that missed down.
Peters fouled off pitch 16, another sweeper down, then pitch 17, a 98 mile per hour heater in on the hands.
He took the 18th pitch, a curveball away, and walked.
Peters tied the most pitches in MLB history in a plate appearance ending in a walk, according to MLB.com.
“That at-bat by Peters was probably the most impressive I’ve seen this year in the league,” White Sox starter Burke said after the game, via MLB.com. “I don’t think [non-players] understand how difficult what he did is, especially against a guy throwing 100 mph. And when he did it was really important.”
What Happened Next
The Guardians had to pull Williams after that 18-pitch marathon, and the White Sox proceeded to erupt for six runs in the inning, with Miguel Vargas providing the exclamation point with a two-run homer.
Amazingly, Peters wasn’t done, either.
On a grounder to the first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, Peters broke for second and got in the way of the throw to force a (legal) deflection and prevent any outs. It helped spark a big inning even more.
The White Sox went on to win 7-3 and keep first place in the AL Central.
Before this season, Peters was known as the guy who once played for the Savannah Bananas. This season, he was an All Star, and he’s now pivotal to the White Sox trying to make the playoffs. Nothing epitomizes that more than his 18-pitch walk on Monday night.
How Tristan Peters Worked 18-Pitch Walk for White Sox