Cesar Hernandez Earned the Rare Five-Ball Walk

Cesar Hernandez walked to start the 1st inning for the Phillies against the New York Mets on Monday night. The at-bat was notable for a couple reasons. First, Hernandez hit a fair ball that was called foul. Then, he worked a six-ball walk. After getting to a full count, Jacob deGrom threw two more balls before Hernandez was sent to first.  MLB.com has it noted as a “five-ball walk. A rarity in MLB history.

The confusion over the missed call earlier in the at-bat obviously threw everyone off, but that probably shouldn’t be an excuse. Especially since Hernandez should have been out, but ended up scoring on a Ryan Howard home run. (Luckily, the Mets made it a moot point by homering 7 times and winning 16-7.) Still, rough plate appearance for umpire Tom Hallion.