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Reds' Votto ties club record with 5 walks in game

David Kohl / USA TODAY Sports

There might not be a tougher out in baseball than Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto, as he proved once more against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

Votto came to the plate five times against Pittsburgh and walked in every appearance. Not a single instance was intentional, as he worked the count time and time again.

Only three Reds batters had walked five times in a game before Sunday: Hughie Critz (1926), Johnny Bench (1979), and Votto in 2013, making him the only one to accomplish the feat twice in a career.

Related: Joey Votto is the best, and we can't ignore it any longer

Pirates starter Jameson Taillon walked Votto twice, and it took 11 pitches until the free pass in each instance. Taillon threw 108 total pitches across four innings, and 22 of them went to Votto.

Overall, the Pirates threw 177 pitches on the game, and Votto saw 43 of them, MLB.com's Adam Berry pointed out. That's 8.6 pitches per plate appearance.

The five-walk showing bumped Votto's BB% to 19.0 through 131 games while dropping his K% to a measly 12.3.

His on-base percentage is now an elite .447, leading all qualified hitters, as Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is closest at .427. Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout held a slightly better .453 OBP entering play on Sunday, but isn't a qualified bat because he missed nearly two months due to injury.

The Reds still lost the game 5-2 - Votto never scored - but the All-Star first baseman can't be blamed.

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