On the date (May 23) in 1999, Orioles’ CF and leadoff hitter Brady Anderson’s day got off to a rather painful start, In the bottom of the first inning, Rangers’ starter Mike Morgan hit Anderson with a 1-2 pitch (Anderson scored two batters later, on a B.J. Surhoff sacrifice fly.) As luck (perhaps bad luck) would have it, Anderson came up against Morgan again in the inning (by that time the Orioles had scored five times), this time with runners on first and second and two out. History repeated itself, as Anderson was hit by Morgan’s first pitch. (Anderson would be the last batter Morgan faced). Anderson scored again, this time on a Surhoff home run. Thanks to the double plunking, Anderson is one of only eight MLB players (Modern Era) to be hit by a pitch twice in one inning – and one only two to by nailed twice in an inning by the same pitcher
The Orioles, by the way, won 15-6 and Anderson went one-for-three in five plate appearances. Anderson would go on to a .282-24-81 season – leading the league with 24 hit-by-pitches. Anderson played in 15 MLB seasons (1988-2002, primarily with Baltimore. He was a three-time All Star and hit .256-210-761, with 315 steals over 1, 834 games. He led the AL in HBP three times.
As always, as I looked into Brady Anderson, one thing led to another. So, here’s a bit more on HBP records. (Keep in mind, Negro League game records from 1920-48 have not yet been fully documented and incorporated into the MLB record books.)
Two Different Paths for Lots of Bumps and Bruises
Photo: The Sporting News via [1], Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Second on the list, only two HBP behind Jennings with 285, is Craig Biggi0 (C/2B/CF). Biggio played 20 MLB seasons (1988-2007), but unlike Jennings, played for only one team (the Astros). The seven-time All Star hit .281-291-1,175, with 1,844 runs scored and 414 stolen bases over 2,950 games. Like Jennings, he led his league in HBP five times, but not consecutively (1995-97, 2001, 2003).
Nifty Fifty
Only two players have been hit by a pitch at least 50 times in one season. The NL Orioles’ Hughie Jennings (51 in 1897) and the Expos’ Ron Hunt (50 in 1971).
Over Two Dozen Bruises to Make This List
There have been 55 player seasons with 25 or more HBP – “accomplished” by 26 different players. The most recent was the Mariners’ Ty France with 34 HBP last season. The first was the American Association Baltimore Orioles’ Tommy Tucker with 29 in 1887.
Here are the players with the most seasons of 25 or more HBP (tied at five):
- Ron Hunt … 1968-72 … Giants, Expos;
- Tommy Tucker … 1887, 1889-92 … AA Orioles, NL Boston;
- Hughie Jennings … 1894-98 … NL Orioles.
Something Old/Something New
The oldest player to lead the league in HBP is Don Baylor, who led the AL with 28 plunkings in 1987 (at the age of 38), splitting the season with the Red Sox and Twins). Baylor also holds second place on the list, with a league-leadings 35 HBP as a 37-year-old in 1986 (Red Sox).
The youngest player to lead the league in HBP was Victor Robles, who was nailed 25 times, as a 22-year-old, with the 2019 Nationals. The youngest player to lead the league in HBP was 23-year-old Andres Gimenez (for the Guardians in 2022). Like Robles, he had 25 HBP.
But Who’s Counting?
The fewest plate appearances by a player who was HBP 25 or more times in a season is 306, by the Red’s Derek Dietrich in 2019 (25 HBP). Dietrich didn’t lead the league in HBP that season, but he did lead the NL with 24 HBP in 2016, with the Marlins). By contrast, the most plate appearance in a season without a single HBP is 739, by the Angels’ Sandy Alomar in 1971. There have, in fact, been 48 seasons of 700 or more PA with an HBP, accomplished by 47 different players.
Probably pretty Good at Dodge Ball
Roy White of the Yankees is the only player with two seasons of 700+ plate appearance without a HBP: 1970 (712) and 1976 (728).
Follow the Leader
Photo: Bowman Gum, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
No player led his league in HBP in more season than the White Sox’ Minnie Minoso – ten seasons (1951-54, 1956-610. Despite this record, Minoso was never hit more than 23 times in a season. Minoso’s consecutive string was broken in 1955 by teammate Nellie Fox (17 HB). That season Minos0 was hit 10 times in 139 games, tying for fourth in the AL. Ron Hunt holds the record for consecutive seasons leading his league in 
HBP at seven 1968-74 (Giants, Expos, Cardinals).
Three Times The Charm
The record for HBP in a game (Modern ERA) is three – which has occurred 36 times (by 30 different players) in the Modern Era (since 1901).
Three X Three
Reed Johnson is the only player to be HBP in a game three times – three times … all while he was with the Blue Jays. Johnson played 13 MLB seasons (2003-2015 … Blue Jays, Cubs, Dodgers, Braves, Marlins, Nationals). He was HBP a total of 134 times and led the AL in HBP in 2006 with 212. His final stat line was .279-65-408 in 1 320 games.
A Couple of Obligatory Charts
Below you will find a couple of charts that shed some light on how HBP has changed over time – which seem to indicate batters may be more at risk these days. This will be a future blog topic (it needs more research), but my first inclination is that the shift from finesse and pitch-to-contact to overpowering batters with velocity and spin rate is a driving force. Feel free to share your thought on this in the comments section.
Primary Resources: Baseball-Reference.com; Baseball-Almanac.com.
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