Jordan Hicks made his return to the mound for the Cardinals after nearly two years away due to injury and the pandemic. It was just a spring training outing, and the plan was to keep it low-stress. That plan didn’t last. Luis Guillorme of the Mets stepped in and turned what should’ve been a routine at-bat into a 22-pitch marathon, the longest in MLB history, though it won’t count in the record books since it wasn’t during the regular season. Hicks opened with high heat touching 100 mph and mixed in sharp sliders, but Guillorme spoiled pitch after pitch, fouling off everything from fastballs to changeups.
The Mets dugout came alive by the 10th pitch, with Pete Alonso and Dominic Smith banging the railing and yelling encouragement. By the 18th pitch, nearly everyone was on their feet. Guillorme stayed composed through all of it, barely swinging at pitches outside the zone and laughing as he fought off another breaking ball. The at-bat ended not with a hit or a strikeout, but with a walk that felt like a win. Hicks, who was supposed to keep to around 20 pitches for the inning, used them all on Guillorme and had to come out. Guillorme got a rare kind of ovation for taking a walk in spring training, and Hicks could only laugh. It wasn’t the test anyone expected, but it was unforgettable.