Hit by pitch
Hit by Pitch (HBP) is a baseball term . A hit by pitch occurs when the pitcher hits the batsman on the body with the ball .
statistics
In baseball statistics, the abbreviation “HBP” denotes the sum of all throws in which a batsman was hit by a ball. In the pitcher statistics, however, the abbreviation “HB” (Hit Batsman) appears, which indicates how often the pitcher has hit a batsman.
In the statistics, the batsman is not credited with an at bat if he is hit , but he is awarded an RBI (run batted in) if all bases are occupied at the time of the "hit by pitch".
Requirements for a hit by pitch
The four requirements for the throw to be considered a hit by pitch are:
- The batsman or his equipment (other than the baseball bat ) is hit by the ball.
- The hit must have occurred outside the strike zone .
- The batsman must not have swung the bat at the ball.
- The batsman must have tried to avoid the throw or, in the opinion of the referee, he had no chance of avoiding the throw.
Follow the hit by pitch
Whenever the batsman is hit by the pitched ball, the ball is "dead".
The batsman automatically becomes a baserunner by the HBP and can go to first base without a hit.
Tactical use of hit by pitch
The so-called "inside pitching" is a legal and often seen tactic in baseball. The pitcher tries to keep the batsman as far away from the home plate as possible by throws close to his body or close to his chin.
Despite all of this, deliberately throwing at a batsman is prohibited and can also be very dangerous. If the umpire is of the opinion that the hit by pitch was intentional, a warning is issued to the pitcher and the managers of both teams. From this point on, any new hit by pitch can result in an immediate dismissal for pitchers and managers. A so-called “ beanball ”, a throw directly on the batsman's head, can also lead to an immediate expulsion from the game without warning for the pitcher and result in a longer suspension.
Some pitchers purposely throw at the batsman if he is unsporting or rude, or if he is having a particularly good day. Of course, the pitchers try to make it look like the throw has accidentally got out of hand. The batsman's team often reciprocates by having the team's pitcher also hit one of the opponent's batsmen. Such "games" get out of control from time to time, so that there is a charging the mound or something similar, which usually leads to a lot of dismissals.
Such duels and "acts of revenge" occur much more frequently in the Major Leagues in the National League than in the American League , since the pitchers of the National League also have to compete as batsmen, which is not the case in the American League. This makes the pitchers who threw the intentional hit by pitch an ideal target for rematch. The deliberate hit by pitch on an opposing batsman is considered a breach of baseball etiquette.
various
Hughie Jennings , a 19th century player who was hit 287 times in the 17 years of his career, holds the record for the most pitched batsman . The record in modern baseball is held by Craig Biggio of the Houston Astros with 281 HBP.
To date, only one major league baseball player has died as a result of a hit by pitch. Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians was hit in the head by Carl Mays in 1920 and died as a result of the injury.