MLB Umpire and Everyone Else Totally Forgot the Count On Strangest Walk of Season

How does this happen at the MLB level?
Oakland's Seth Brown walked after taking five balls in an at-bat Saturday night in Seattle.
Oakland's Seth Brown walked after taking five balls in an at-bat Saturday night in Seattle. / @NBCSportsCalifornia

The 2025 MLB season is just a few days old but its safe to say we saw what will be the strangest walk of the entire year Saturday night in Seattle.

The Athletics' Seth Brown was at the plate when everyone, including the umpire, seemed to forget the count. Usually you're awarded first base after four balls in at at-bat. Brown, however, took five balls before making his way down to first.

Somehow Brown, the ump, the pitcher, the announcers, and everyone else involved in this game just let it happen as everyone missed that the count had been screwed up.

This was just wild to see at the MLB level:

Fans were rightfully very confused by this:


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Andy Nesbitt
ANDY NESBITT

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.