I’m going in a different direction here with this week’s MCM selection as you can see. Infielder Ron Hunt of the 1971 Montreal Expos not only led the National League in hit by pitches, he did so by quite a margin. His 50 HBP led second place Mike Epstein’s 12 by a more than a four-to-one margin.
Hunt of course, was no stranger to the plunk. He perfected the technique of taking one for the team, leading the majors in HBP for seven straight years (1968-1974). ‘71 was the pinnacle and the only time he reached 50.
| Split | G | GS | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | HBP | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 Totals | 152 | 146 | 638 | 520 | 89 | 145 | 20 | 3 | 5 | 38 | 5 | 7 | 58 | 41 | .279 | .402 | .358 | 50 |
Most likely, we can thank Ron Hunt for forcing APBA to introduce the 42 result on APBA cards. The 1971 card set (‘72 edition) was the Company introduced the 42 on an APBA cards. The 42 result wasn’t listed on the boards so those requiring the number received a notation at the bottom of their card simply saying, ‘42-Hit by Pitch’.
Until then, players like Hunt (well, to be honest, there weren’t too many like Hunt) had to suffice with multiple 22s. I should know. I did a replay of the 1970 season once a long time ago and to replicate Hunt’s 26 HBPs, his card had something like three or four 22s on it. It was a fun card to look at, no doubt. But it was cumbersome and definitely relied on a base runner for him to get any mileage out of it.
So that’s why you see the card above. Hunt’s three 42s should not have any problem producing 50 or so HBPs assuming he plays his allotted time. Also of note, Ron Hunt’s 1971 card has three 31s. That was another advantage of the 42. Calling the hit and run with Hunt at the plate would take away any advantage of the 22. Not so with the 42.
Ron Hunt, by the way, isn’t the career leader in hit by pitches. Hughie Jennings has that honor with 287 followed closely by Craig Biggio. Hunt is close though, coming in sixth all-time with 243 which is pretty good for someone who only put in 12 years of MLB play.
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