Plunk Everyone

The Cleveland Indians are on a roll, of late, and not just because they've won 10 consecutive games. They've been hit by 21 pitches in August, which brings their total to 88 for the season. That leaves them just 12 plunks away from being the first American League team to get hit 100 times in a season, and they'd be just the 2nd post-1900 major league team to reach triple digits in plunks. And they've got the entire month of September - another 30 games - still to play.

Prior to this week, the most any modern team had been hit before the beginning of September was 82 times, by the 2004 Pirates. They finished that season with 95 HBPs, which is the 21st century record. That team featured Craig Wilson getting hit 30 times, and Jason Kendall adding another 19. The 1997 Houston Astros, who are currently the only post-1900 team to get hit by 100 pitches, were led by Craig Biggio's 34 HBPs. But at the 132 game mark, that team only had 68 HBPs - so the Indians are 20 plunks ahead of the pace set by a team that got hit 100 times. However, the Indians probably aren't going to get hit 32 times in their final 30 games the way that Astros team did.

Perhaps most impressively, the Indians have a commanding lead for the most plunked team in the league this season. They're 24 HBPs ahead of the 2nd place Yankees, despite the Yankees enormous payroll, and their 3 veteran batters with over 130 career hbps. The last time a team finished 24 plunks ahead of the next most battered team was 1978 when Don Baylor's California Angels got hit a league leading 67 times, while the a trio of teams tied for 2nd at 42. If the Yankees are eliminated from playoff contention soon and have nothing left to get hit for, Cleveland could expand their lead and be the first team since 1898 to win the Plunk Pennant by 30+ HBPs.

Now for the bad news - September is the 9th month of the year, and so far this season, Cleveland has averaged 22 HBPs in even numbered months, and only 11 plunks in odd numbered month. They got hit 23 times in April, 12 in May, 22 times in June, 10 in July and 21 so far in September. So, unless they can break that trend in odd-numbered September, their three remaining August games could be the key to the Indians hopes of reaching 100 HBPs. If they don't get hit this weekend, and only meet their odd-numbered-month average in September, they would only reach 99.

Labels: Cleveland Indians