7 straight – Misryoum reports the Reds matched an MLB record by walking seven batters in a row, fueling a big Pirates inning.
A seven-batter free-pass streak from the Reds set the tone early and helped the Pittsburgh Pirates swing a game their way in a loss that hurt on both the scoreboard and the stat sheet.
The Reds tied an MLB record by issuing seven straight walks. a rare moment in major-league history that Pittsburgh exploited to produce five runs in the inning without collecting a hit.. Starter Rhett Lowder issued the first three walks before being pulled, and the disruption only continued as the inning spiraled.
In this context, the focus isn’t just on the number of walks, but on how quickly control evaporated, letting Pittsburgh stack baserunners and run up the inning.
Lowder began the sequence by walking Brandon Lowe with one out and the bases empty.. The misfires kept coming as he also walked Bryan Reynolds and Ryan O’Hearn. forcing a pitching change to Connor Phillips.. Phillips couldn’t locate either. walking Nick Gonzales. Marcell Ozuna. and more before the inning had already become a damage-heavy stretch.
Even after Phillips was replaced, the theme remained that Pittsburgh made the Reds pay without needing timely hits.. Sam Moll entered and worked his way through the aftermath. including a play that produced an RBI fielder’s choice grounder from Henry Davis and a grounder handled by Tyler Stephenson’s end of the field.
This matters because a frame built entirely on walks can completely erase a pitcher’s rhythm and force a bullpen to recover in real time, often with limited options.
Lowder ultimately took the loss, allowing eight runs in just 1 1/3 innings, a performance that significantly raised his ERA. The game also left a clear takeaway about execution, with Lowder acknowledging the lack of command and emphasizing that there were no real excuses.
For the Pirates, the inning became the difference-maker, turning patient approaches into a quick, hitless scoring burst. For the Reds, the record-tying walks will linger as a stark reminder that control is often the first requirement to keep innings under control.
In the end, Misryoum’s takeaway is simple: when walks pile up, the margin for error disappears, and even strong plans at the plate can become overwhelming once the strike zone vanishes.