In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP) is a situation in which a batter or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from the pitcher; the batter is called a hit batsman (HB). A hit batsman is awarded first base, provided that (in the plate umpire's judgment) he made an honest effort to avoid the pitch, although failure to do so is rarely called by an umpire. Being hit by a pitch is often caused by a batter standing too close to, or "crowding", home plate.
Below is the list of the top 100 Major League Baseball players who have been hit by a pitch the most during their MLB careers.
Hughie Jennings holds the Major League record for most hit by pitches, getting hit 287 times in his career. Craig Biggio (285), Tommy Tucker (272), Don Baylor (267), Jason Kendall (254), Ron Hunt (243), Dan McGann (230), Anthony Rizzo (207), and Chase Utley (204) are the only other players to be hit by 200 or more pitches during their careers.
Rank | Rank amongst leaders in career hit batsmen. A blank field indicates a tie. |
Player (2023 HBP) | Number of times hit by pitch during the 2023 Major League Baseball season. |
HBP | Total career times hit by pitch. |
* | Denotes elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame. |
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Bold | Denotes active player.[note 1] |