Plunk Everyone

There's still one game left in the 2009 season, but it's going to be played in the Metrodome, which I'm fairly certain is not named after a beer company. That means we're all set to award the 2009 award for most HBPs at parks named after beer. And this year it's Jason Kendall of the Milwaukee Brewers, appropriately enough. He got hit 12 times this year at parks with beer names, 11 times at Miller Park and once at Coor Field. That's tied for the 5th best season in beer park plunks in modern history (or rather, Jamie Moyer Era history). Fernando Vina holds the record with 15 in 2001 (for the Jamie Moyer Era... or, since 1986).

Here are this year's top HBP leaders in parks with beer names:

Jason Kendall (MIL) - 12
Ryan Braun (MIL) - 8
Clint Barmes (COL) - 7
Matt Diaz (ATL) - 5
Albert Pujols (STL) - 5
Brendan Ryan (STL) - 5
Chris Iannetta (COL) - 5
Dan Uggla (FLA) - 4
Hanley Ramirez (FLA) - 4
Mike Cameron (MIL) - 4

Especially impressive on that list is Matt Diaz who does not play his home games at a park named after beer. Also of note, in case you hadn't payed much attention to the Marlins this year, their landlord made a naming rights deal earlier this season which had them playing most of the year at a park under the name Land Shark Stadium. That's named after Land Shark Lager, so plunks occuring after May 15th in that park count toward the beer park standings.

This was the first season Jason Kendall has claimed the beer park HBP title, but he's up to 36 career beer park plunks. Only Albert Pujols is ahead of him among active players, with 43. 36 plunks in beer parks ties Kendall with Craig Biggio's total for such plunks, but the leader among the recently retired Moyer Era players is Larry Walker, who got hit 70 times in ballparks named for beers. Fernando Vina had 48, Geoff Jenkins had 41 and Andres Galarraga had 40. Matt Holiday is the next best active player at being plunked in parks named after beer, with 34.

On the pitching side, Jeff Suppan and Dave Bush both hit 7 batters at ballparks named after beer, which leaves them tied for the league title.

(Jamie Moyer Era note: since Jamie Moyer is the longest serving active player this season, and he started playing in 1986, I like to use 1986 as the starting point for the loosely defined "modern era". Since no one playing in 2009 played before 1986, that seems like a good starting point - and saves me from having too big a database of HBPs to manage. This approach may have to be adjusted next season, if Moyer does something crazy like retires.)

Labels: Jason Kendall