MLB hit by pitch rate nears record as pitchers throw harder

The MLB hit by pitch rate is sitting near record territory, with ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian reporting that through the All-Star break, batters had been plunked 0.43 times per game.

That figure is nearly three times the rate from 1980, according to ESPN, and trails only the 0.46 mark from the shortened 2020 season. Kurkjian reported that hit-by-pitch rates have been historically high across this decade.

The daily totals have been eye-catching, too. ESPN reported that 23 batters were hit on May 26, while 29 were hit on June 17, 2025, the highest single-day total in major league history.

Why is the MLB hit by pitch rate so high?

Players and coaches told ESPN the spike is tied to a nastier modern pitching mix: more velocity, more spin, less command and less time for hitters to react. A hit by pitch means a batter is awarded first base after being struck by a pitch, unless the umpire rules he did not try to avoid it.

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper told ESPN that pitchers are chasing “velo and spin over strikes.” Harper said he does not believe pitchers are trying to hit batters, but warned that throwing 99 to 101 mph near the head puts players at risk.

Washington Nationals pitcher Miles Mikolas pointed to the same issue, telling ESPN there are many big pitchers with big velocity and breaking-ball spin, but some do not control it well.

ESPN also cited Major League Baseball’s June 2021 crackdown on sticky substances as part of the grip problem. Seattle Mariners catcher Mitch Garver told ESPN that pitchers are being asked to throw as hard as possible to spots they cannot reliably reach, sometimes with pitches they are still learning.

Hitters are crowding the plate and wearing more gear

Former shortstop Larry Bowa, now a Phillies special assistant, told ESPN that pitchers no longer know how to work inside. That has helped push hitters closer to the plate as they try to cover pitches away, raising the odds that a miss inside catches flesh or protective gear.

Padres coach Nick Punto, a former big leaguer, gave ESPN the blunt version: “There just is less time to get out of the way.” Punto also said his high school-aged son gets hit often, reflecting what he described as a younger generation trained to “wear it.”

Former Princeton coach Scott Bradley told ESPN the mindset has spread through high school and college baseball. He said two teams Princeton faced this year were hit more than 100 times across a 40-game season.

White Sox rookie Sam Antonacci is one of the clearest examples. ESPN reported that he was hit 27 times in 226 at-bats at Coastal Carolina in 2021, then 35 times in 406 plate appearances across three minor league teams last year. He led the American League with 19 hit-by-pitches at the time of the report.

Antonacci told ESPN he stays in unless a pitch is near his head, saying he cannot afford to give up a free base. He said he wears a leg guard and elbow guard and was taught at Coastal Carolina that there would be consequences for getting out of the way.

That armor has changed the look of the batter’s box. Mariners manager Dan Wilson, a former catcher, told ESPN that some hitters appear to wear more padding than catchers.

Is the trend slowing down?

ESPN reported that the hit-by-pitch rate has been at least 0.40 per game every year since 2018. Kurkjian wrote that with pitchers trained to throw harder and spin the ball harder while command comes second, the trend is unlikely to disappear soon.

Still, not every player wants to absorb triple-digit heat. Padres first baseman Gavin Sheets told ESPN he does not think anyone wants to be hit by Mason Miller, while Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh joked to ESPN that willingly taking one from the Padres fireballer would be foolish.

This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.