Talk:Hit by pitch

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The article claims "Headhunting is slightly more common in the American League than in the National League, because pitchers are required to bat in the National League." Why does this make a difference? --Dmleach 21:20, 1 Dec 2004 (UTC)

In a word, retaliation — if NL pitchers were to throw at somebody's head, then the other team could throw at them. I'll see if I can come up with a better way to phrase it for the main article. - jredmond 21:25, 1 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Biggio's Record

This article says the Biggio is the #1 leader in HBP, but actually he is #2 behind Hughie Jennings. See the article on Craig Biggio:

"Over his career, Biggio has gained a reputation for being hit by pitches. Some have even gone so far as to proclaim him the "king of hit batsmen."[1] On June 29, 2005, Biggio broke the modern era career hit-by-pitch record, previously held by Don Baylor with 267. He is currently the active leader in this category only trailing Hughie Jennings on the all-time list with 287. As of the end of the 2006 season, Biggio has 282 HBP, and needs 6 more to break the 103 year old record. Despite being hit by a record number of pitches, Biggio has never charged the mound.[2] Nor has he ever had a serious injury as a result from an HBP."

I considered editing the page to reflect this, but in a month or two Biggio will take over the record. "The previous record holder was Don Baylor, who was hit 267 times. The single-season record holder is Ron Hunt of the 1971 Montreal Expos, who was hit 50 times." should be removed though since it is false. Hughie Jennings was hit 51 times in 1896, and Don Baylor never held the HBP #1 spot. Eh, basically what I'm saying is, when Biggio breaks the record, please restructure that section to show the actual records.216.37.86.10 15:55, 4 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Good catch. I'll take care of this now. Biggio's only had one so far this season, so it could be a few months until he actually breaks the record. -- dakern74 (talk) 21:54, 5 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Phrasing

Oftentimes, if a player is acting rude or unsportsmanlike, or having an extraordinarily good day, the pitcher may intentionally hit the batter

Shouldn't this be "having a bad day"? It doesn't follow as it is now. Kerowyn 00:37, 27 June 2006 (UTC)

No, it makes perfect sense: If a player is hitting well, by hitting him, you take the bat out of his hands and limit him to one base -- precisely the same as with an intentional walk. 142.104.250.115 22:00, 4 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hit by Pitch while attempting to hit a pitch

This discussion started on the Talk:Baseball page but was more relevant here. Dakern74 17:11, 28 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hello! I have never submitted a question before so I hope I am doing this right. I have searched for an official answer to this question without success. While batting, if a batter swings at an inside pitch and subsequently the ball hits the knuckles of the batter and the ball is hit in fair play is the play dead and the batter awarded first base as a result of a hit by pitch or is the ball live as it was "hit" in fair play during an attempted swing? Thank you for your reply!

Part of rule 6.08 [1] states that in order to be awarded first base, the batter can't be trying to hit the ball. If he swings, the pitch counts whether it later hits the batter or not. If he swings and misses for strike three, even if it hits him after the fact, he's out. I saw that challenged in a minor-league game I think last season. If he makes contact, then the ball's in play. Of course, if it hits the bat first and then his knuckles, it's probably going to be called a foul tip (assuming he's still in the batter's box). Hope this helps. Dakern74 19:26, 27 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Not quite right. This would never be a foul tip. Also, any time a pitched ball hits a batter, the ball is dead--it can never be hit in play or a foul, etc. If the pitch first hits a player's hands (or any part of the body) while he is taking a full swing, it is a dead ball and a strike, even if the ball is hit. No runners may advance. If a pitch first hits the hands while the swing is a half-swing but "he didn't go", and the umpire judges that the batter didn't try to avoid it, then it is a dead ball and a ball (a pitch not in the strike zone). If he did try to avoid it, then it is a hit by pitch. I think these are clear in the articles I've linked. If not, edit them or let me know. If you're confused, just remember this one thing: The hands are NOT part of the bat--ever. --Locarno 14:31, 28 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Batters foul balls off parts of themselves all the time. Usually it's their legs, but still. As long as it hits the bat first, it's foul. However, after looking up the definition of a "strike" in rule 2, I'll agree that it can't ever be put in play. The rule I referenced (6.08) is silent about that. Thanks for the clarification. Dakern74 14:58, 28 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Very true--that's when it hits the bat first. Once the ball hits the bat, it is no longer a pitched ball. Sorry if I wasn't clear. If there's anywhere the articles are unclear, let me know and we can fix it. --Locarno 16:32, 28 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm going to copy this discussion over to Talk:Hit by pitch since it's more specific to that topic. Then maybe it can be removed from the overall "baseball" page to shorten it up a little. You'll find I also added some of these conclusions to the original hit by pitch article. Thanks for the help. Dakern74 17:11, 28 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

2007

who holds the record for being hit by a pitch in 2007? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.33.32.184 (talk) 23:44, 8 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

HBP

Ok, HBP can also stand for half blood prince, the harry potter book, why cant this be a disambiguation? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.118.144.236 (talk) 19:00, 17 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Noteworthy? At least ironic?

I find irony in the fact that baseball's sister sport, cricket, actually punishes the batsman in some situations for being hit by a pitch. But I don't know if this irony is worth putting into the article. 49giantsharks (talk) 01:36, 21 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Option?

if you are hit by a pitch, not in the strike zone and you try to avoid it, can you refuse being awarded first and continue the at bat?