The Mets set a modern MLB record with 106 hit batters this season when Mark Canha was plunked twice and Luis Guillorme once in Wednesday’s 6-0 loss to the Brewers.
By the numbers: Canha has been hit an MLB-high 24 times and is one of six Mets in the top 25, joined by Brandon Nimmo (16), Starling Marte (13), Pete Alonso (12), Jeff McNeil (11) and Francisco Lindor ( 10).
What they’re saying: “I’m closer to the plate and I don’t move,” she said Canha when asked why he’s such a hit-by-pitch magnet. He also led MLB last year, getting hit 27 times.
Between the lines: The near-constant plunking has impacted the Mets all season, ranging from a benches-clearing brawl in April to a handful of injuries, including a fractured finger that currently has Marte on the IL.
The big picture: The three highest HBP totals in the modern era have occurred in the last two years, with the Reds (105) and Dodgers (104) having Mets-like seasons last year.
- Theories as to why numbers are up include more inside pitches, increased velocity of breaking balls, and the ban on “sticky stuff.”
- The 1898 Baltimore Orioles hold the all-time HBP record, with 160 in 154 games. Their shortstop, Hughie Jennings, got beaned 46 times that year and holds the MLB record with 287.
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