Stallings bests Bench for this catcher record

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It was business per usual inside the bullpen ahead of the Marlins' Aug. 29 game when catcher Jacob Stallings saw a graphic on the Bally Sports Florida pregame show.

Moments before serving as Pablo López's batterymate, Stallings realized he could surpass Hall of Famer and 10-time Gold Glover Johnny Bench's Major League record of 224 consecutive games (from 1974-76) without a passed ball. Though Stallings had been made aware of the streak five days prior because his father had seen it on the broadcast, he had lost track.

No worries, since Stallings would make history that evening. He has since extended the streak to 228 through Sunday's game in Atlanta. His last passed ball came on Aug. 14, 2020, during his time with the Pirates.

"I've always been a pretty good blocker," said Stallings, who credits that part of his game for his 2021 Gold Glove Award. "Passed balls are something that's always been important to me. In 2019, I kind of thought that if you didn't have any passed balls, that meant you were a good receiver, and I didn't really know much about the framing analytics and all that. So 2019 was when I started getting into the framing analytics and kind of prioritized framing. Passed balls didn't mean you weren't a good receiver necessarily anymore. But still cool to set a Major League record."

The 6-foot-5 Stallings provides a big target to his pitching staff, which doesn't have to worry about throwing certain offerings in tough situations because of the fear they'll get away from the backstop. Remarkably, Stallings doesn't spend much time on blocking practice. He likes to save that for live pitching.

"Grip it and rip it," said López, who has thrown to Stallings 26 times this season. "You know you have a guy behind home plate that's going to take care of it, so I think it does help. Sometimes with a runner on third, you find yourself being a little tentative. With Stallings and his skills behind there, that's just not a thought in your mind. The thought is making sure that you make your pitch."