Joey Votto Batted 6,829 Times Before a First Baseman Ever Caught His Pop Fly
Seven years after the streak ended in Los Angeles, only one hitter in the modern record has gone longer. Here is the full board, updated through August 16, 2026.
On April 17, 2019, in the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium, Votto got a changeup from Pedro Baez and lifted it into foul ground down the first-base line. Cody Bellinger settled under it. It was the 6,829th plate appearance of his career and the 89th pop fly he had ever hit, and it was the first one a first baseman had ever caught.
He retired after 2023 with 8,746 plate appearances and 133 pop flies. Three of them went to the first baseman. Across every hitter whose career fits inside baseball's reliable batted-ball record, only Joe Mauer went longer without one, and Mauer never did it at all.
Most plate appearances before a first pop fly to the first baseman
Top 30 since 2003. "Never" means it has not happened yet, or never happened at all — those streaks equal the player's full career.
| # | Player | Team | Seasons | PA in streak | Ended | Career PA | Pop flies | To 1B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Mauer | MIN | 2004-2018 | 7,960 | Never | 7,960 | 104 | 0 |
| 2 | Joey Votto | CIN | 2007-2023 | 6,829 | 2019-04-17 | 8,746 | 133 | 3 |
| 3 | Alex Avila | DET | 2009-2021 | 3,638 | Never | 3,638 | 47 | 0 |
| 4 | Skip Schumaker | STL | 2005-2015 | 3,582 | Never | 3,582 | 68 | 0 |
| 5 | Brad Hawpe | COL | 2004-2013 | 3,401 | Never | 3,401 | 112 | 0 |
| 6 | Jason Kipnis | CLE | 2011-2020 | 2,605 | 2015-09-14 | 4,984 | 201 | 13 |
| 7 | Chris Davis | BAL | 2008-2020 | 2,512 | 2014-06-06 | 5,630 | 163 | 2 |
| 8 | Jace Peterson | ATL | 2014-2024 | 2,303 | 2022-09-22 | 2,779 | 76 | 1 |
| 9 | Kole Calhoun | LAA | 2012-2023 | 2,296 | 2017-05-11 | 4,988 | 209 | 9 |
| 10 | Max Muncy | LAD | 2015-2026 | 2,055 | 2021-09-05 | 4,407 | 175 | 9 |
| 11 | Riley Greene | DET | 2022-2026 | 1,793 | 2025-07-07 | 2,565 | 52 | 2 |
| 12 | Trevor Larnach | MIN | 2021-2026 | 1,789 | 2026-05-19 | 2,030 | 68 | 2 |
| 13 | Gerardo Parra | AZ | 2009-2021 | 1,764 | 2012-09-12 | 5,290 | 118 | 4 |
| 14 | Jake Lamb | AZ | 2014-2023 | 1,705 | 2017-09-15 | 2,650 | 91 | 4 |
| 15 | Denard Span | MIN | 2008-2018 | 1,576 | 2010-08-04 | 5,956 | 289 | 11 |
| 16 | Brandon Marsh | PHI | 2021-2026 | 1,496 | 2024-07-30 | 2,560 | 51 | 1 |
| 17 | Harold Castro | DET | 2018-2023 | 1,485 | Never | 1,485 | 20 | 0 |
| 18 | César Hernández | PHI | 2013-2022 | 1,482 | 2017-05-13 | 4,797 | 151 | 14 |
| 19 | Yordan Alvarez | HOU | 2019-2026 | 1,437 | 2022-09-05 | 3,406 | 112 | 2 |
| 20 | Adam Eaton | CWS | 2012-2021 | 1,435 | 2015-08-23 | 3,910 | 142 | 7 |
| 21 | Jared Walsh | LAA | 2019-2024 | 1,403 | 2024-04-13 | 1,410 | 58 | 1 |
| 22 | Matt Carpenter | STL | 2011-2024 | 1,363 | 2014-06-07 | 5,773 | 163 | 5 |
| 23 | Adam Frazier | PIT | 2016-2026 | 1,357 | 2019-07-28 | 4,363 | 192 | 13 |
| 24 | Jon Jay | STL | 2010-2021 | 1,350 | 2013-04-06 | 4,315 | 83 | 3 |
| 25 | Jason Kubel | MIN | 2004-2014 | 1,335 | 2009-04-22 | 3,883 | 149 | 8 |
| 26 | Everth Cabrera | SD | 2009-2015 | 1,323 | 2013-05-17 | 2,068 | 50 | 2 |
| 27 | Matt Adams | STL | 2012-2021 | 1,301 | 2016-06-08 | 2,614 | 144 | 11 |
| 28 | Shin-Soo Choo | TEX | 2005-2020 | 1,301 | 2010-04-11 | 7,157 | 134 | 4 |
| 29 | Colby Rasmus | TOR | 2009-2018 | 1,293 | 2011-06-03 | 4,119 | 243 | 19 |
| 30 | Alek Thomas | AZ | 2022-2026 | 1,286 | 2025-08-19 | 1,485 | 48 | 1 |
Active players still carrying a clean streak
Playing in 2026 with no pop fly ever caught by a first baseman. The leader sits roughly a fifth of the way to Votto.
| # | Player | Team | PA so far | Pop flies | To 1B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonathan Aranda | TB | 1,281 | 36 | 0 |
| 2 | Jackson Holliday | BAL | 1,102 | 29 | 0 |
| 3 | Will Brennan | SF | 889 | 55 | 0 |
| 4 | Evan Carter | TEX | 809 | 49 | 0 |
| 5 | Carson Benge | NYM | 491 | 10 | 0 |
Lowest share of career plate appearances ending in a pop fly
Top 30 since 2003, minimum 3,000 career plate appearances.
| # | Player | Team | Seasons | Career PA | Pop flies | Rate | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Avila | DET | 2009-2021 | 3,638 | 47 | 1.29% | — |
| 2 | Joe Mauer | MIN | 2004-2018 | 7,960 | 104 | 1.31% | — |
| 3 | Howie Kendrick | LAA | 2006-2020 | 6,421 | 94 | 1.46% | — |
| 4 | Joey Votto | CIN | 2007-2023 | 8,746 | 133 | 1.52% | — |
| 5 | Ryan Howard | PHI | 2004-2016 | 6,531 | 102 | 1.56% | — |
| 6 | Christian Yelich | MIL | 2013-2026 | 7,402 | 120 | 1.62% | Active |
| 7 | Ryan McMahon | COL | 2017-2026 | 4,310 | 76 | 1.76% | Active |
| 8 | David Freese | STL | 2009-2019 | 4,229 | 77 | 1.82% | — |
| 9 | Shin-Soo Choo | TEX | 2005-2020 | 7,157 | 134 | 1.87% | — |
| 10 | Skip Schumaker | STL | 2005-2015 | 3,582 | 68 | 1.90% | — |
| 11 | Jon Jay | STL | 2010-2021 | 4,315 | 83 | 1.92% | — |
| 12 | DJ LeMahieu | COL | 2011-2025 | 6,822 | 132 | 1.93% | — |
| 13 | Tim Anderson | CWS | 2016-2025 | 4,139 | 81 | 1.96% | — |
| 14 | Bryan Reynolds | PIT | 2019-2026 | 4,546 | 89 | 1.96% | Active |
| 15 | Ben Revere | PHI | 2010-2017 | 3,343 | 66 | 1.97% | — |
| 16 | Austin Jackson | DET | 2010-2018 | 4,653 | 92 | 1.98% | — |
| 17 | Michael Bourn | HOU | 2006-2016 | 5,323 | 109 | 2.05% | — |
| 18 | Gerardo Parra | AZ | 2009-2021 | 5,290 | 118 | 2.23% | — |
| 19 | Aaron Judge | NYY | 2016-2026 | 5,263 | 121 | 2.30% | Active |
| 20 | Matt Kemp | LAD | 2006-2020 | 6,983 | 161 | 2.31% | — |
| 21 | Shohei Ohtani | LAA | 2018-2026 | 4,850 | 117 | 2.41% | Active |
| 22 | Corey Seager | LAD | 2015-2026 | 5,161 | 127 | 2.46% | Active |
| 23 | Freddie Freeman | ATL | 2010-2026 | 9,876 | 247 | 2.50% | Active |
| 24 | Yunel Escobar | ATL | 2007-2017 | 5,957 | 150 | 2.52% | — |
| 25 | Josh Hamilton | TEX | 2007-2015 | 4,350 | 114 | 2.62% | — |
| 26 | Tommy Pham | STL | 2014-2026 | 4,842 | 127 | 2.62% | Active |
| 27 | Nathaniel Lowe | TEX | 2019-2026 | 3,739 | 99 | 2.65% | Active |
| 28 | Buster Posey | SF | 2009-2021 | 5,607 | 156 | 2.78% | — |
| 29 | Nick Castellanos | DET | 2013-2026 | 7,072 | 198 | 2.80% | Active |
| 30 | Jason Castro | HOU | 2010-2022 | 3,381 | 95 | 2.81% | — |
Active leaders
Playing in 2026, minimum 3,000 career plate appearances.
| # | Player | Team | Career PA | Pop flies | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christian Yelich | MIL | 7,402 | 120 | 1.62% |
| 2 | Ryan McMahon | NYY | 4,310 | 76 | 1.76% |
| 3 | Bryan Reynolds | PIT | 4,546 | 89 | 1.96% |
| 4 | Aaron Judge | NYY | 5,263 | 121 | 2.30% |
| 5 | Shohei Ohtani | LAD | 4,850 | 117 | 2.41% |
How these lists were built
Every pop fly since 1969 was pulled from MLB's batted-ball record along with the fielder credited with the catch, then matched against plate-appearance totals. Streak lengths were counted down to the individual plate appearance using game logs and play-by-play.
- The lists begin in 2003 because the record before that has holes. The 1983–1988 seasons are missing most batted balls outright, and 2000–2002 is missing roughly a third of them.
- Only players whose first plate appearance came in 2003 or later are eligible, so that nobody is credited with a clean streak that simply went unrecorded. That is why hitters who debuted earlier, including Albert Pujols and Ichiro Suzuki, do not appear.
- The method reproduces MLB's own published figures from April 2019 exactly: Votto's 6,829th plate appearance, his 89th career pop fly, and Mauer's 104 pop flies with none to first.
Pop-fly classification and fielder credit are MLB's. Regular-season games only, through August 16, 2026. Active streaks are live and will change.
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