Matt Wieters’ 19 pitch at-bat ended in nothing

Matt Wieters had an insane 19-pitch at-bat against the Twins.

Yadier Molina and Andrew Knizer had the day off against the Minnesota Twins, leaving struggling catcher Matt Wieters to handle the backstop duties. In a completely unexpected twist, Wieters’ at-bat against reliever Caleb Thielbar ended up setting a new record for pitches in an at-bat.

Wieters set a new record for pitches in a single bases-loaded at-bat since 1988, as his at-bat against the Twins took an insane 19 pitches to resolve. The end of the at-bat, however, was as anticlimactic as possible, as he flew out to center rather than smashing a towering grand slam.

Matt Wieters set a new MLB record in the middle of an awful season

Wieters needed some positivity in his season, as he has just one hit in 15 at-bats coming into this game. That robust .067 average is embarrassing for a guy who at one point was one of the most-hyped prospects in the nation during his time with the Baltimore Orioles.

While Cardinals fans normally avert their eyes in disgust whenever Wieters digs into the batters’ box, those who were able to actually gaze upon Wieters saw a bit of baseball history. Sure, he flew out right after, and having him on the roster has been a detriment given his poor offense and declining defense, but at least we got a 19-pitch at-bat out of this whole ordeal.

Wieters might be in the middle of the worst season of his career by a country mile, but he can claim to have set a new MLB record in the middle of that slump. A small silver lining, sure, but at least it’s something positive in a season that might end up being the final MLB season of his career.