In baseball,hit by pitch (HBP) is an event in which abatter or 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.[1][2]
The rule dates from 1887; before that, a pitch that struck the batter was merely aball.
Per baseball official rule 5.05(b), a batter becomes abaserunner and is awarded first base when he or his equipment (except for his bat):
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.[4]
In the case where a batter swings and the pitch hits him anyway, the ball isdead and astrike is called.[5] 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 Drysdale hitDick Dietz with a pitch that would have forced in a run and ended Drysdale's scoreless innings streak at 44. UmpireHarry Wendelstedt ruled that Dietz made no effort to avoid the pitch; Dietz proceeded tofly out, and Drysdale's scoreless streak continued to a then-record 582⁄3 innings.[6] Another notable example was the first game of the2022 World Series. In the bottom of the 10th inning,Philadelphia Phillies pitcher David Robertson was pitching toHouston Astros pinch hitterAledmys 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.[7]
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 ahit orat bat, but is credited with atime on base and aplate appearance; therefore, being hit by a pitch does not increase or decrease a player'sbatting average but does increase hison-base percentage. A batter who is hit by a pitch with thebases loaded is also credited with anRBI per MLB rule 10.04(a)(2).[8] 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.[9]
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Inside pitching is 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 anumpire suspects that a pitcher has thrown at a batter intentionally, but is not certain, a warning is issued to the pitcher and themanagers of 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 Ureña was ejected from a game against theAtlanta Braves after hittingRonald Acuña Jr. on the elbow with the first pitch of the game, which led to the Braves' and Marlins'benches emptying.[10]
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").[11] 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.
Korea Baseball Organization third basemanChoi Jeong holds 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 inMLB is held byHughie Jennings, who was hit by 287 pitches between 1891 and 1903. The modern-era[clarification needed] record is held byCraig Biggio of 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 Hunt of the 1971Montreal Expos was hit 50 times during that year, the modern-era record. The single-game record is three, held by numerous players.[12]
The all-time record for pitchers is held byGus Weyhing with 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 Knell in 1891, and the game record is six, held byEd Knouff andJohn Grimes.[13] On September 1, 2021,Austin Adams became the first pitcher hitting batters 20 or more times with 120 or less IPs in a season.Ed Doheny hit batters 22 times in 133.2 IP in 1900.
A total of ten MLB players have been hit twice in a single inning; three inAmerican League games, six inNational League games, and one in an interleague game:[citation needed]
Three times has a perfect game been broken up by the 27th batter being hit by pitch.Hooks Wiltse,Max Scherzer, andJoe Musgrove hold 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 Heston of the San Francisco Giants for his 2015 effort against the New York Mets.[15]
Postseason career records are held byGreg Maddux andTim Wakefield—each of whom hit 9 batters—andShane Victorino, who was hit by pitch 11 times.[16]
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One major-league player died as a result of being struck by a pitch:Ray Chapman of theCleveland Indians was hit in the head byCarl Mays on August 16, 1920,[17] and died the next morning.[18][19]
Serious injuries may result from being hit by a pitch, even when wearing abatting helmet. On August 18, 1967,Boston Red Sox batterTony Conigliaro was hit almost directly in the left eye by a fastball thrown byJack Hamilton of theCalifornia Angels.[20] 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.[21] 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 Santo was the first player to wear a helmet with an improvised ear-flap; he had it made after he was struck by a pitch fromJack Fisher of theNew York Mets on June 26, 1966,[22] which briefly knocked Santo unconscious and left him with a fractured cheekbone.
Other notable injuries include:
Other comparably minor injuries that are possible include broken fingers or hands, broken feet, broken ribs, injuries to the knee, orgroin injuries.
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 college baseball teams, theSupreme Court of California ruled that baseball players in Californiaassume the risk of being hit by baseballseven if the balls were intentionally thrown so as to cause injury.[26] 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 law to police such conduct."[26]
