It took 130 plate appearances, but Red Sox slugger Mookie Betts finally struck out on Wednesday night in Toronto, when Francisco Liriano fanned him with a slider in the fourth inning.
He had gone 129 straight trips to the plate without striking out, which is the longest by a Red Sox player since Denny Doyle went 159 in 1975.
Juan Pierre went 147 back in 2004.
Taken from the Red Sox website, the team was impressed at Betts’ feat:
“It seems like every at-bat, he’s competing and putting the ball in play or walking and getting on base, however,” said Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi. “Especially nowadays where people are throwing mid-to-upper 90s all the time, with lower 90s or upper 80s offspeed, that’s crazy and pretty incredible for him to go that long without striking out.”
Mookie Betts' incredible strikeout-free streak came to an end Wednesday night against the Blue Jays. https://t.co/aKQ65DiAQ0 pic.twitter.com/jo1jOjOxbw
— NESN (@NESN) April 20, 2017
It’s amazing what Betts was able to accomplish. Putting the ball in play gives you a chance to be successful and it’s even more amazing that a guy who is able to hit with such power, is also able to make such regular contact.
Betts hadn’t struck out in a regular season game since September of 2016.
The Sox are back in Toronto today for a 12:37 start. Chris Sale is on the mound.
