Hit by pitch

In baseball,hit by pitch(HBP) is an event in which abatteror his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from thepitcher;the batter is called ahit batsman(HB). A hit batsman is awarded first base, provided that (in the plateumpire's judgment) he made an honest effort to avoid the pitch, although failure to do so is rarely called by an umpire. Being hit by a pitch is often caused by a batter standing too close to, or "crowding", home plate.

Joe Credeof theChicago White Soxbeing hit by a pitch

The rule dates from 1887; before that, a pitch that struck the batter was merely aball.

Official rule

Per baseball official rule 5.05(b), a batter becomes abaserunnerand is awarded first base when he or his equipment (except for his bat):

• is touched by a pitched ball outside thestrike zone,
• andhe attempts to avoid it (or had no opportunity to avoid it),
• andhe did not swing at the pitch.

If all these conditions are met, the ball is dead, and other baserunners advance if they are forced to vacate their base by the batter taking first. Rule 5.09(a) further clarifies that a hit by pitch is also called when a pitch touches a batter's clothing.

In the case where a batter swings and the pitch hits him anyway, the ball isdeadand astrikeis called.If the batter does not attempt to avoid the pitch, he is not awarded first base, and the pitch is ruled either a strike if in the strike zone or a ball if out of the strike zone. Umpires rarely make this call. A famous instance of a non-hit by pitch was on May 31, 1968, whenDon DrysdalehitDick Dietzwith a pitch that would have forced in a run and ended Drysdale's scoreless innings streak at 44. UmpireHarry Wendelstedtruled that Dietz made no effort to avoid the pitch; Dietz proceeded tofly out,and Drysdale's scoreless streak continued to a then-record 582⁄3innings.Another notable example was the first game of the2022 World Series.In the bottom of the 10th inning,Philadelphia Philliespitcher David Robertson was pitching toHouston Astrospinch hitter Aldemys Diaz. With 2 balls and no strikes, two out and two runners in scoring position, Robertson threw a pitch inside that struck Diaz's left arm. Home plate umpire James Hoye ruled that Diaz did not attempt to avoid the pitch and called the pitch a ball. Diaz, who had begun to take first base before Hoye called time, disputed the call, and would go on to ground out to end the game.

A hit-by-pitch can also be called on a pitch that has first touched the ground before hitting the batter. Such a bouncing pitch is like any other, and if a batter is hit by such a pitch, he will be awarded first unless he made no attempt to avoid it (and he had an opportunity to avoid it).

A batter hit by a pitch is not credited with ahitorat bat,but is credited with atime on baseand aplate appearance;therefore, being hit by a pitch does not increase or decrease a player'sbatting averagebut does increase hison-base percentage.A batter hit by a pitch with thebases loadedis also credited with anRBIper MLB rule 10.04(a)(2).A pitch ruled a hit by pitch is recorded as a ball in the pitcher'spitch count,since by definition the ball must be outside the strike zone and not have been swung at.

The rule awarding first base to a batter hit by a pitch was instituted in 1887.

Tactical use

Iván Rodríguez (right) of theWashington Nationalsis brushed back by an inside pitch during a 2010 game atWrigley Field.

Inside pitchingis a common and legal tactic in baseball, and many players make use ofbrushback pitches,or pitches aimed underneath the chin, commonly referred to as "chin music", to keep players away from theplate."Headhunter" is a common term for pitchers who have a reputation for throwing these kinds of pitches. However, throwing at a batter intentionally is illegal, and can be very dangerous. When anumpiresuspects that a pitcher has thrown at a batter intentionally, but is not certain, a warning is issued to the pitcher and themanagersof both teams. From that point on, any pitch thrown at a batter can cause the pitcher and the manager of the offending team to be ejected immediately from the game. Serious offenses such as a ball thrown at the head (called abeanball) can result in the immediate ejection of the pitcher, and the manager if he ordered the beanball, even without a warning. If the umpire is certain that the pitcher intentionally hit the batter with the pitch, the pitcher is ejected from the game with no warning. This infamously happened on August 15, 2018, whenJosé Ureñawas ejected from a game against theAtlanta Bravesafter hittingRonald Acuña Jr.on the elbow with the first pitch of the game, which led to the Braves' and Marlins'benches emptying.

Occasionally, if a player is acting rude or unsportsmanlike, or having an extraordinarily good day, the pitcher may intentionally hit the batter, disguising it as a pitch that accidentally slipped his control. Managers may also order a pitcher to throw such a pitch (sometimes called a "plunking" ).These pitches are typically aimed at the lower back and slower than normal, designed to send a message more than anything else. The opposing team usually hits a batter in retaliation for this act. The plunkings generally end there because of umpire warnings, but in some cases things can get out of hand, and sometimes they lead to the battercharging the mound,bench-clearing brawls,and several ejections.

Records

See also:List of Major League Baseball career hit batsmen leadersandList of Major League Baseball career hit by pitch leaders

Korea Baseball Organizationthird basemanChoi Jeongholds the Korean Baseball Organization hit by pitch record with 348. It is also the world record. The all-time record for a player being hit by a pitch inMLBis held byHughie Jennings,who was hit by 287 pitches between 1891 and 1903. The modern-erarecord is held byCraig Biggioof theHouston Astros,who had 285 as of the end of the 2007 season when he retired. Prior to Biggio, the modern-era record belonged toDon Baylor,who was hit 267 times.

The all-time single-season record also belongs to Jennings, who was hit 51 times during the 1896 season.Ron Huntof the 1971Montreal Exposwas hit 50 times during that year, the modern-era record. The single-game record is three, held by numerous players.

The all-time record for pitchers is held byGus Weyhingwith 277 (1887–1901). The modern-era career pitching record for most hit batsmen is 205 by Hall-of-FamerWalter Johnson.The season record is 54 byPhil Knellin 1891, and the game record is six, held by Ed Knouff and John Grimes. Brady Andersonwas the first player to be hit by a pitch two times in the same inning in anAmerican Leaguegame. On April 25, 2014,Brandon Mossbecame the second when he was hit twice in the top of the 9th inning byHouston Astrospitchers. Five players have been hit by a pitch twice in the same inning in theNational League.On September 1, 2021,Austin Adamsbecame the first pitcher hitting batters 20 or more times with 120 or less IPs in a season.Ed Dohenyhit batters 22 times in 133.2 IP in 1900.

Three times has a perfect game been broken up by the 27th batter being hit by pitch.Hooks Wiltse,Max Scherzer,andJoe Musgrovehold this rare feat. All three finished with no-hitters after the hit by pitch. Scherzer's team was leading 6–0 and Musgrove's 3–0 when they pitched their no-hitters, but Wiltse's team was scoreless through 9; he pitched a 10-inning 1–0 no-hitter. The record for most hit batters in a no-hitter is three, held byChris Hestonof the San Francisco Giants for his 2015 effort against the New York Mets.

Postseason career records are held byGreg MadduxandTim Wakefield—each of whom hit 9 batters—andShane Victorino,who was hit by pitch 11 times.

Dangers

Lane Thomasof theMemphis Redbirdsis evaluated for injury after being hit by a pitch in a 2019 game.

One major-league player died as a result of being struck by a pitch:Ray Chapmanof theCleveland Indianswas hit in the head byCarl Mayson August 16, 1920,and died the next morning.

Serious injuries may result from being hit by a pitch, even when wearing abatting helmet.On August 18, 1967,Boston Red SoxbatterTony Conigliarowas hit almost directly in the left eye by a fastball thrown byJack Hamiltonof theCalifornia Angels.His cheekbone was shattered; he nearly lost the sight of the eye, was unable to play for over a year, and never regained his earlier batting ability.At the time, batting helmets were not required to have an "ear flap"; it was not until 2002 that all major-league batters were required to wear helmets with side-protection.Ron Santowas the first player to wear a helmet with an improvised ear-flap; he had it made after he was struck by a pitch fromJack Fisherof theNew York Metson June 26, 1966,which briefly knocked Santo unconscious and left him with a fractured cheekbone.

Other notable injuries include:

• Mickey Cochraneof theDetroit Tigerswas hit in the head by a pitch fromBump Hadleyof theNew York Yankeeson May 25, 1937.Cochrane nearly died from his injuries and never played again; he was inducted to theNational Baseball Hall of Famein 1947.
• Kirby Puckettof theMinnesota Twinswas struck in the cheek by aDennis Martínezfastball on September 28, 1995,breaking his jaw and loosening two teeth. It was Puckett's last regular-season game; duringspring trainingthe following year he developedglaucoma,which ended his career; he was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2001.
• Mike Piazza,then with the Mets, was hit in the head by a pitch fromJulián Tavárezof theSt. Louis Cardinalson September 10, 2005.Piazza's helmet shattered and he suffered aconcussion;he went on to play in MLB through 2007 and was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2016.

Other comparably minor injuries that are possible include broken fingers or hands, broken feet, broken ribs, injuries to the knee, orgroininjuries.

Legal interpretation

Since inside pitching is a legitimate tactic in baseball, courts have recognized that being hit by a pitch is an inherent risk of the game, so that players cannot sue for any resulting injuries. On April 6, 2006, in a case arising from a game involvingcommunity collegebaseball teams, theSupreme Court of Californiaruled that baseball players in Californiaassume the riskof being hit by baseballseven ifthe balls were intentionally thrown so as to cause injury.In the court's words: "For better or worse, being intentionally thrown at is a fundamental part and inherent risk of the sport of baseball. It is not the function oftort lawto police such conduct. "

External links

• List of all-time HBP leaders

• Article on changing HBP ratesinThe Hardball Times