This Day In Dodgers History: 20th Anniversary Of Alex Cora’s 18-Pitch At-Bat

On May 12, 2004, Alex Cora had one of the most memorable at-bats in Los Angeles Dodgers history against the Chicago Cubs. May 12, 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the event.

With a runner on first base and nobody out in the seventh inning, Cora stepped into the batter’s box looking to increase the Dodgers’ 2-0 lead. The plate appearance began with the second baseman working a 2-1 count.

Cora then proceeded to foul off 14 consecutive pitches. By the time he fouled off the 11th pitch, the crowd at Dodger Stadium began to rise to its feet.

“The crowd is loving it,” Vin Scully said on the telecast. “You ever see so much excitement? And nothing has even happened. That’s what’s so funny about it.”

The fans at Dodger Stadium erupted when Cora hit a fly ball into the right-field bullpen on the 18th pitch of his at-bat against Matt Clement. The two-run homer extended the Dodgers’ lead to 4-0, which held as the final score.

L.A. improved to 22-10 with the win, which was their best start since the 1983 team began the season 23-9.

The home run was Cora’s second of the 2004 season and 19th of his career. While Cora etched himself in Dodger lore at the time, the 2004 season was his last with the organization that selected him in the third round of the 1996 Draft.

He ended up spending seven seasons with the Dodgers, hitting 27 homers and driving in 173 runs. He also made stops with the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals and Cleveland Guardians.

Alex Cora at-bat among longest in MLB history

At the time, Cora’s 18-pitch at-bat was tied for the third-longest in MLB history. Former San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt holds the record with his 21-pitch at-bat against Jaime Barria on April 22, 2018.