Bregman walking in October at record pace

The Red Sox squeezed past the Astros, 7-5, in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series on Sunday to even the series -- and they may have done so partially by pitching around the potent bat of Alex Bregman. The third baseman was Houston's best hitter in the regular season, and while he's yet to record a hit in this series, he's made a big impact nonetheless.
The three walks Bregman drew in Game 2 upped his total to six over the first two games of the ALCS, and 10 over the Astros' first five games of the postseason. He's now reached base in 17 of his 24 plate appearances this October -- and he's also made some history along the way.
It remains to be seen if Boston will give Bregman more to swing at once the series resumes in Houston, but until then, here are nine things you should know about his wild on-base run to this point.
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• Bregman went 0-for-1 in the Astros' 7-2 victory in Game 1 of the ALCS, but he reached four times via three walks and a hit-by-pitch. That made him the first player to reach base four times in a postseason contest without the benefit of a hit since David Ortiz for the Red Sox in Game 6 of the 2013 World Series. The last Astro to do it had been Jeff Bagwell in Game 3 of the 1999 National League Division Series against the Braves.
Bregman followed up by reaching three times via walk in Game 2 despite going hitless in his two at-bats. He's the first player in history to reach base three times without a hit in back-to-back postseason games.
• Bregman is just the second player to draw 10 walks through five games of a postseason, following Dodgers outfielder Jim Wynn in 1974.
• Bregman's 10 walks are nearly twice the number of free passes that Cleveland drew off Houston pitchers (six) in the three games of the ALDS. They're also one more than Seattle outfielder Dee Gordon's total (nine) over the entire 2018 regular season.
• The only player before Bregman to draw at least three walks in back-to-back postseason games was Cubs outfielder Jimmy Sheckard -- way back in 1910. Bregman's eight walks dating back to Game 3 of the ALDS also tie Barry Bonds (2002) for the most by any hitter over a three-game span in postseason play.
• The third baseman's 10 free passes are already the third most generated by any Astros player in a single postseason, trailing Lance Berkman's 12 walks in 2005 and the 11 walks drawn by George Springer last fall.
• Bregman is hitless in his three official at-bats this series, but that hasn't stopped him from getting on base at a historic clip. Among all players who have gone hitless with at least five plate appearances in each of their first two games of an LCS, Bregman's .700 on-base percentage is tied with Will Clark (1989), Reggie Jackson ('78) and Felix Milan ('69) for the second-highest OBP behind Otis Nixon (.727) in the 1993 NLCS.

• Through five games, Bregman's postseason walk rate is 41.6 percent, a good tick higher than Bonds' single-season record 37.6 percent walk rate in 2004.
• Bregman has reached base in 14 straight games via hit, walk, hit-by-pitch or error, dating to Sept. 19.

• How remarkable has Bregman's discipline been? Nine of his 10 postseason walks have come on full counts.