Plunk Everyone

There was just one pitch that hit a batter in last night's World Series Game 5, but on that one pitch, three different records were broken. Shane Victorino became the most plunked batter in Phillies postseason history, with his 3rd. AJ Burnett became the Yankees franchise leader in postseason hit batters with 5. And, Burnett became the first pitcher ever to hit 5 batters in a single postseason.

Shane Victorino has now been hit 3 times this postseason, which doesn't sound like very many times, but no other Philly has ever been hit 3 times in their postseason careers with the team, much less in the same season. Prior to this year, Greg Luzkinski and Garry Maddox were the only players to get hit twice in the postseason for the Phillies. Luzinski got hit in the 1977 NLCS and the 1980 World Series, while Maddox got hit in the NLCS in 1977 and 1980. This postseason, Jimmy Rollins has been hit twice for Philadelphia, but Victorino has three HBPs. Ten other players have been hit once for the Phillies in the postseason - Fred Luderus (1915 WS), Milt Stock (1915 WS), Del Ennis (1950 WS), Steve Carlton (1977 NLCS), Pete Rose (1980 WS), Darren Daulton (1993 WS), Ryan Howard (2007 NLDS), Eric Bruntlett (2008 WS), Chase Utley (2008 WS), and Carlos Ruiz (2009 NLCS).

Meanwhile, Burnett has now hit 5 batters this postseason. Only two other players have hit more than 4 batters in the same postseason - Roy Oswalt hit 4 for the 2005 Astros, and Pedro Martinez hit 4 for the 2004 Red Sox. In Yankees History, four other pitchers had hit 4 batters in their postseason careeers - Roger Clemens, Orlando Hernandez, David Wells and Jeff Nelson. But, Burnett is the first to hit 5.

Labels: HBPs of note