Aug 8, 2022 5 min read

Coming directly from college baseball this spring at Tennesse Wesleyan to the Wild Things, starting pitcher Kobe Foster wasn’t familiar with one of minor-league baseball’s time-honored traditions: the beer batter. And that tradition has nothing to do with deep-fried foods.

It didn’t take long for Foster to figure out that, as far as the crowd is concerned, striking out one particular batter in the opponent’s lineup is more important than getting a routine fly ball or groundout.

“The first game I was here for, the fans were fired up for one guy and I wasn’t sure why. Then the PA announcer (Benny Canan) explained the whole thing,” Foster said. “You don’t have that in college baseball.”

For those not familiar with the beer batter, here’s what happens:

Prior to the game, the home team designates one player – typically a hitter prone to striking out – in the visiting team’s lineup to be the beer batter that night. If he strikes out, then either discounted or free beer is available to the fans, depending on what the ground rules are for the promotion.

At Wild Things Park, the promotion is $2 domestic beers, and $1 root beers for the kids, and is available for the remainder of the that inning.

The promotion is a staple in the minor leagues, especially at the independent level. The Wild Things began play in the Frontier League in 2022 and for many years stayed away from the alcohol-based promotion, though many of the other teams in the league indulged in the gimmick.

In recent seasons, the Wild Things have utilized the beer batter and it has kept the taps flowing and the fans engaged. This year, Washington added the $1 root beers to the promotion.

PA announcer: What do we want?

Crowd: Beer!

PA announcer: When do we want it?

Crowd: Now!

With each strike on the Beer Batter, the crowd gets louder. If the umpire calls a ball, especially with two strikes on the batter, then the crowd lets the ump know they are displeased by booing or making comments about his eyesight.

Get a called strike, or swing and miss, for strike three and the crowd roars before there is a rush to Wild Things Park’s beer cart located on the first-base concourse. As the promotion has grown in popularity and fan engagement, a beer batter strikeout typically rivals a Wild Things home run for loudest ovation of the night.

PA announcer: Give me a B

Crowd: B

PA announcer: Give me an eer

Crowd: Eer

PA announcer: What’s that spell?

Crowd: Beer!

Are Wild Things pitchers aware of who is the beer batter and do they pitch the guy any differently than they would in a normal at-bat?

“We’ve talked about it,” Washington pitching coach Alex Boshers admitted. “If you’re ahead in the count and need a strike for a strikeout, go ahead and try to strike out the beer batter. You can be the most popular person in the ballpark that night.”

Boshers and Foster both say that facing the beer batter is an advantage for the pitcher.

“They realize they’re the beer batter, and if you get two strikes on them then they start to panic,” Boshers said. “When they do that, they expand their strike zone and they swing at pitches that might be out of the strike zone.”

“I’m trying to strike out the beer batter every time,” Foster said. “With the way the crowd reacts, I think it’s a big advantage for the pitcher. He doesn’t want to strike out, so he’s more aggressive early in the count. He’s swinging at pitches just to not strike out.

“I think it’s hilarious. Most of the time, the pitcher is trying to be a people pleaser, especially when the crowd is chanting ‘We want beer.'”

Over the last three seasons, statistics noting the beer batter’s success in games played at Wild Things Park were kept. The batter struck out in a little more than 50 percent of the games.

A veteran of eight seasons of independent baseball, Boshers says some pitchers react differently to striking out the beer batter.

“When I played in the American Association in Wichita, I had a teammate who, when he struck out the beer batter, would march around the back of the mound and with his pitching hand would mimic chugging a beer,” he said. “Some guys have fun with it.”

The beer batter – the origins of the gimmick/promotion are not known – is not limited to independent leagues. In 2017, major league pitcher Madison Bumgarner, who was then playing for the San Francisco Giants, was sent to Class A San Jose of the California League on an injury rehabilitation assignment. After pitching two games for San Jose, Bumgarner told reporters he had only one regret – he didn’t strike out the beer batter.