We’re getting close to the 150th anniversary of Rule 5.05(b), or at least its forerunners, which is what awards first base to a batter who is struck by a pitch. Across the league, pitchers seem to be gearing up for the big day.
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Perhaps it’s just natural that HBPs would rise along with strikeouts, walks, and home runs. It is, after all, one of the true outcomes, if the oft-neglected fourth one. But it’s downright bullying to have so much of it happen to one guy.