Chicago White Sox outfielder Tristan Peters added yet another impressive accomplishment to his resume amid his impressive rookie season, working an 18-pitch plate appearance against Cleveland Guardians starter Gavin Williams. He drew a walk on the 18th pitch of his trip to the plate, kicking off a game-defining rally for the White Sox in one of their most important games of the season. Matt Wieters was the last player in MLB to register a plate appearance lasting at least 18 pitches, flying out on the 19th pitch of an at-bat against the Minnesota Twins on Sept. 8, 2020.
Additionally, it is the longest plate appearance any White Sox batter has had since MLB began tracking pitch counts in 1988. Peters stepped up to the plate in the sixth inning of a scoreless with outfielder Andrew Benintendi standing on first. After taking ball one to kick off the at-bat, Peters quickly found himself in a 1-2 hole after watching two strikes hit the catcher's mitt.
He fouled off pitch after pitch, eventually working the count full, before fouling off two more pitches to set up the 18th pitch of the at-bat. Willaims threw Peters an outside curveball, missing the plate and granting the rookie a free pass to first and prompting an emphatic bat flip and dugout celebration. The White Sox went onto score six runs in the sixth inning, riding the energy Peters brought to the middle of the lineup.
Peters, formerly of the Savannah Bananas, has 145 appearances under his belt this season, making a huge impact in a competitive White Sox team. He has 12 homers on the year, logging 54 RBIs over the course of the season, and has an .804 OPS so far on the year. He has some impressive personal moments under his belt as well, hitting for the cycle against the Athletics earlier in the season while making his first All-Star appearance.
Peters' success has been integral to the White Sox's season so far, and he will certainly play a big role in the remainder of their year—however long that may be. They currently hold a 1.5-game lead over the Guardians in the AL Central, and are 2.5 games ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays, who are the first team out of the playoffs at present. They'll hope to extend those leads in Tuesday's game, when they take on the Guardians once again at 5:40 p.m.
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