On this day in 1975 the Brewers and Red Sox split a doubleheader at Fenway Park. Catcher Darrell Porter started and batted fifth in the second game, going 1-for-2 with a walk, HBP and a run scored. It was his ninth consecutive game with a walk, setting a Brewer franchise record.
Porter wasn't exactly the kind of hitter you'd typically pitch around: even after this streak he was hitting just .229/.365/.406 for the season. He actually walked eleven times over the nine game streak, though, where he got on base 18 times in 35 plate appearances.
Porter finished the 1975 season with a .232/.371/.418 batting line over 130 games, and the 89 walks he collected that year were the second-highest total in his 17 year MLB career (he led all of baseball with 121 in 1979). All told he had a .229/.334/.375 batting line over six seasons as a Brewer, and his 261 walks are still the 26th most in franchise history.
With help from the B-Ref Play Index, happy birthday today to:
- Rickie Weeks, who turns 31. We covered his birthday in this space two years ago.
- 1991 Brewer Rick Dempsey, who turns 64.
Today is also the 30th anniversary of the Brewers purchasing Teddy Higuera's contract from the Mexican League. We covered that event in this space last year.