You dont swing because theres a greater statistic that it will be a ball than a strike. And if it is a strike then you will still only have one and get more chances. You have to make the pitcher pitch as many pitches as possible.
In 1967, Fred Norman pitched in 1 game for the Chicago Cubs, with an ERA of 0. He started 0 games and finished 1, pitching no complete games. He threw no shutouts and recorded no saves, ending up with 0 wins and 0 losses. He pitched a total of 3 outs, facing 3 batters. He gave up 0 hits and 0 earned runs, but no home runs. He struck out 3 batters and walked 0.
In 1994, Ricky Bottalico pitched in 3 games for the Philadelphia Phillies, with an ERA of 0. He started 0 games and finished 3, pitching no complete games. He threw no shutouts and recorded no saves, ending up with 0 wins and 0 losses. He pitched a total of 9 outs, facing 13 batters. He gave up 3 hits and 0 earned runs, but no home runs. He struck out 3 batters and walked 1.
In 1972, Mike Kilkenny pitched in 1 game for the Oakland Athletics, with an ERA of 0. He started 0 games and finished 0, pitching no complete games. He threw no shutouts and recorded no saves, ending up with 0 wins and 0 losses. He pitched a total of 3 outs, facing 3 batters. He gave up 0 hits and 0 earned runs, but no home runs. He struck out 0 batters and walked 0.
In 1976, Harry Parker pitched in 3 games for the Cleveland Indians, with an ERA of 0. He started 0 games and finished 3, pitching no complete games. He threw no shutouts and recorded no saves, ending up with 0 wins and 0 losses. He pitched a total of 21 outs, facing 22 batters. He gave up 3 hits and 0 earned runs, but no home runs. He struck out 5 batters and walked 0.
Hitting the first pitch? Yes that's probably a record. The record for the most home runs in a row is 4, but they weren't all first-pitch swings.
In 1936, Whit Wyatt pitched in 3 games for the Chicago White Sox, with an ERA of 0. He started 0 games and finished 3, pitching no complete games. He threw no shutouts and recorded 1 save, ending up with 0 wins and 0 losses. He pitched a total of 9 outs, facing 11 batters. He gave up 3 hits and 0 earned runs, but no home runs. He struck out 0 batters and walked 0.
In 1965, Pete Cimino pitched in 1 game for the Minnesota Twins, with an ERA of 0. He started 0 games and finished 1, pitching no complete games. He threw no shutouts and recorded no saves, ending up with 0 wins and 0 losses. He pitched a total of 3 outs, facing 3 batters. He gave up 0 hits and 0 earned runs, but no home runs. He struck out 0 batters and walked 0.
In 1984, Todd Cruz pitched in 1 game for the Baltimore Orioles, with an ERA of 0. He started 0 games and finished 1, pitching no complete games. He threw no shutouts and recorded no saves, ending up with 0 wins and 0 losses. He pitched a total of 3 outs, facing 3 batters. He gave up 0 hits and 0 earned runs, but no home runs. He struck out 0 batters and walked 0.
In 1998, Lariel Gonzalez pitched in 1 game for the Colorado Rockies, with an ERA of 0. He started 0 games and finished 1, pitching no complete games. He threw no shutouts and recorded no saves, ending up with 0 wins and 0 losses. He pitched a total of 3 outs, facing 3 batters. He gave up 0 hits and 0 earned runs, but no home runs. He struck out 0 batters and walked 0.
In 1885, Jimmy Macullar pitched in 1 game for the Baltimore Orioles, with an ERA of 0. He started 0 games and finished 1, pitching no complete games. He threw no shutouts and recorded no saves, ending up with 0 wins and 0 losses. He pitched a total of 3 outs, facing 3 batters. He gave up 0 hits and 0 earned runs, but no home runs. He struck out 0 batters and walked 0.
In 1918, Roy Wilkinson pitched in 1 game for the Cleveland Indians, with an ERA of 0. He started 0 games and finished 1, pitching no complete games. He threw no shutouts and recorded no saves, ending up with 0 wins and 0 losses. He pitched a total of 3 outs, facing 3 batters. He gave up 0 hits and 0 earned runs, but no home runs. He struck out 0 batters and walked 0.