Ouch

ADKbrown · **Posted:** Thu May 26, 2005 5:11 pm

I just happened to notice that Reed Johnson, a Toronto outfielder, has been hit by a pitch eight times this season even though he has only 93 official at-bats. Unless he plays more, he'll never break Don Baylor's AL record (35 in 1986), but he's getting hit more frequently. Ron Hunt's ML record (50 in 1971) is certainly out of reach.

Ratios of at-bats to hp:

Johnson: 11.6
Baylor: 16.7
Hunt: 10.4

Ideally, you should use plate appearances rather than at-bats, but I don't have that info.

Btw, Johnson's teammate, Shea Hillenbrand, also has been hit eight times, but he's had twice as many at-bats.

ADKbrown · **Posted:** Thu Jun 09, 2005 12:01 pm

When I posted earlier, I didn't realize Craig Biggio was poised to become the all-time plunkee.

ADKbrown · **Posted:** Fri Jul 01, 2005 9:48 am

In case you missed it, Biggio broke Don Baylor's HBP record on Wednesday.

Did Baylor wear an arm guard? When did they come into use? Maybe this record should be asterisked.

Wayne Countryman · **Posted:** Fri Jul 01, 2005 10:48 am

Baylor was a muscular, fearless guy. He disdained armor, as I recall.

My memory might not be sharp on this, but I picture him crowding the plate, then barely moving as the ball headed at him. He'd nonchalantly drop the bat and jog to first base, plotting to wipe out the pivotman on any double play attempt. Or, better yet, to run over the catcher to score.

And to hit a home run the next time up.

Baylor was so well respected that he won the AL MVP as a DH without hitting .300. He was an RBI machine. Leg injuries had slowed him, so he didn't play the field anymore.

I've always liked Biggio. I wouldn't mock him for wearing protection. He's played well for a long time. A versatile star who switched positions twice for the sake of his team.

But if I were a pitcher, I'd be, um, annoyed if batters stood on top of the plate, eager to dive at pitches on the outside corner but quick to whine or fight over pitches an inch inside. And I'd be just as annoyed by batters who hung over the plate with armored elbows.

ADKbrown · **Posted:** Fri Jul 01, 2005 4:08 pm

I didn't intend any disrespect toward Biggio. But today's batters are better protected.

Oeditpus Rex · **Posted:** Fri Jul 01, 2005 10:04 pm

Wayne Countryman wrote:

But if I were a pitcher, I'd be, um, annoyed if batters stood on top of the plate, eager to dive at pitches on the outside corner but quick to whine or fight over pitches an inch inside. And I'd be just as annoyed by batters who hung over the plate with armored elbows.

For such batters was the "purpose pitch" invented. Ah, take me back to the days of Drysdale, Gibson, Spahn â€” pitchers who claimed absolute ownership of the strike zone and weren't afraid to dive into the fights that sometimes resulted.

Wayne Countryman · **Posted:** Sat Jul 02, 2005 2:00 am

ADKbrown wrote:

I didn't intend any disrespect toward Biggio. But today's batters are better protected.

Sorry, ADK, wasn't trying to imply that you had.

Times have changed. I once got hit by pitches in consecutive at-bats--the second time ordered by the manager--in a Senior Little League preseason game.

I'm older than Julio Franco. It's been a long time since I took one for the team. These days, I'd want a brick wall between the pitcher and me.

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Sat Jul 02, 2005 12:11 pm

Wayne Countryman wrote:

I once got hit by pitches in consecutive at-bats--the second time ordered by the manager--in a Senior Little League preseason game.

I'm not sure what "Senior Little League" is, but I'm sure of what my response would be if I were "ordered" to be hit by a pitched ball.

Wayne Countryman · **Posted:** Sat Jul 02, 2005 12:46 pm

Phillip Blanchard wrote:

Wayne Countryman wrote:

I once got hit by pitches in consecutive at-bats--the second time ordered by the manager--in a Senior Little League preseason game.

I'm not sure what "Senior Little League" is, but I'm sure of what my response would be if I were "ordered" to be hit by a pitched ball.

The manager of the other team ordered his pitcher to hit me without my team hearing it. That team's shortstop told me so after the game.

Senior Little League is for kids 13 to 15. They play on an adult-sized field: 90 feet between bases, etc.

So, the "fastballs" that hit me probably weren't going much more than 80 mph. I'd try to get hit by pitches if I figured it was my best chance to get on base against a tough pitcher. I was younger and even more foolish then.

I don't know what the sport is like these days. Probably fewer kids get rushed to the ER.

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Sat Jul 02, 2005 12:51 pm

I generally believe parents should stay out of their children's sports, but I can't imagine any parent allowing the "manager" of a youth baseball team to get away with ordering a pitcher to throw at a batter.

Wayne Countryman · **Posted:** Sun Jul 03, 2005 2:08 am

I agree--kids would be better off without adults getting in the way, let alone acting as if the adolescents entrusted to them were warriors.

If parents had been at the ballfield for that preseason scrimmage, the reaction might have been different. My father and 95-pound mother would have gone ballistic, and they would have had backup.

But Vince Lombardi hadn't been dead for long. The play with pain/never flinch/do whatever it takes B.S. was still the prevailing attitude. We kids didn't know better, and the adults supervising us made it worse.

Oeditpus Rex · **Posted:** Sun Jul 03, 2005 11:19 am

I advocate banning Little League and other youth sports in their current form (he said, shoving the thread even farther off-topic). Give kids some equipment and decent places to play, and let them. No adults allowed.

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