Monday, September 20, 2010

Ouch

Today's card features a player who's perhaps best known not for getting hits but for taking them:

Card #149 - Ron Hunt, Montreal Expos

Ron Hunt is shown here in a Spring Training shot, wearing a jacket under his Expos uniform and looking like he's standing in somebody's backyard.

In 1971, Ron Hunt was hit by pitches 50 times. That is still a record among all players after 1900. He also holds the record for being hit by pitches in one game (three). When he retired in 1974, he was the all-time leader in that category. Though that mark was eventually broken by Don Baylor and then Craig Biggio, the question remains: what was so bad about Hunt that made opponents throw at him?

In interviews, Hunt insisted he was never thrown at, at least not intentionally. However, his opponents complained that he was leaning into the pitches and that some of them were perfect strikes. I'm guessing Hunt figured whether a hit, a walk or a shot to the arm...it was all a way to get on base.

3 comments:

  1. If you can't get good wood on the ball, get good flesh on the ball!

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  2. I remember reading once that the HBP that gave Hunt the dubious record had actually hurt him. While he was on the ground, in pain, the ump apparantly said something like "You got the record, now get up and go take your base", believing that Hunt was embellishing.

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  3. He might just take a couple of more hits to the chops if he trys to field any ground balls on that field he's standing on. Is that the perfect definition of crab grass? OUCH!!!!!

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