Home Run Derby

Batters getting hit by pitches is a big part of baseball.  Just like crashes in auto racing. 

Some nine year olds never recover from that first wallop in little league.  Heck, it takes some major leaguers a while to recover … ask Justin Morneau (2005) and Sammy Sosa (2003) about it.  Ray Chapman died from a beanball in 1920.

There’s lots of debate over intentionally hitting a guy … but it happens and it used to happen more often.  And ESPN will show it without hesitation.  And when someone gets really injured … well, heck - it’s news then.

Let’s take a look at some video of major leaguers getting plunked. 

Craig Biggio

Let’s start with the Human Backstop … no one in modern baseball history has received more painful trips to first base than the future Hall of Famer.

Biggio was plunked in his (eventual) Hall of Fame career.  He had 287 if you include two plunking in the playoffs.  Amazingly, not once in Biggio’s career, did he ever charge the mound.

Here’s a particularly nasty one.

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Houston Astros 2B Craig Biggio is fast approaching an incredible Baseball Milestone. No, not 3,000 hits (Biggio has 2,951 hits). No, I’m talking about a Baseball Record that’s stood for more than 103 years …

287 Hit By Pitches.

The HBP record is currently held by Hall-of-Famer Hughie Jennings, who was plunked 287 times in his Major League career. He was an accomplished shortstop as well as being a human backstop.

Biggio is currently four bruises away (283 career HBP) from tying the all-time record. You can follow Biggio’s near-record breaking inability to get out of the damn way over at the fine blog, Plunk Biggio.

So in honor of Biggio’s upcoming achievement here’s a couple of HBP’s I could find.

Ray Chapman (1920) The only Major League player to ever die during a game. Chapman was hit in the head by a pitch thrown by Carl Mays. His death caused Baseball to require umpires to replace the baseball when it gets dirty and (eventually) to require all players wear batting helmets.

Sammy Sosa (2003) Sosa had offensive problems for a month after getting walloped by this pitch in April 03. About a month later he was caught using the corked bat.

Craig Monroe (2005) This has to be seen to be believed. Don’t cringe out loud.

Some Bird (2001) And of course, Randy Johnson annihilating the unluckiest bird in the world.

Until then, someone tell Biggio to duck once in a while.