Call to the pen
Fansided

Houston Astros Charlie Morton: MLB’s leading headhunter

By Bobby Mueller

BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 08: Charlie Morton #50 of the Houston Astros pitches during the game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Saturday September 8, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Rob Tringali/SportsChrome/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 08: Charlie Morton #50 of the Houston Astros pitches during the game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Saturday September 8, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Rob Tringali/SportsChrome/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 08: Alex Bregman #2 of the Houston Astros is hit by a pitch in the third inning against the Cleveland Indians during Game Three of the American League Division Series at Progressive Field on October 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Houston Astros starting pitcher Charlie Morton has the highest rate of hit batters for all pitchers with more than 1000 career innings pitched.

When you think of pitchers known as “headhunters” in baseball terms, the names Don Drysdale, Bob Gibson, and Pedro Martinez probably come to mind. These are guys who had a reputation for owning the inside of the plate and if they hit a batter, well, that’s just part of the game. The batter shouldn’t have been crowding the plate.

Drysdale, in particular, was vocal about his views on the issue. He once said, “My own little rule was two for one. If one of my teammates got knocked down, then I knocked down two on the other team.” Another old-timer, Early Wynn, was asked if he would throw at his mom if she came up to bat and responded, “I would if she was crowding the plate.”

Pedro Martinez famously hit a batter when he was five outs from throwing a perfect game. It’s hard to believe it was on purpose, but with Pedro, you never know. The game was against the Cincinnati Reds back when Martinez pitched for the Montreal Expos. Martinez had come inside on Reds outfielder Reggie Sanders twice earlier in the game and plunked him in the elbow with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, even as he had a perfect game in his sights.

Sanders charged the mound and tackled Martinez as the benches cleared. After the game, Martinez said, “There was no way I was trying to hit him. I guess he took it the wrong way. I was surprised he charged out. Surprised, but not afraid.” Sanders was ejected. Martinez ended up losing the no-hit bid in the ninth inning.

Of the four pitchers mentioned so far, the reputations of Drysdale and Martinez are backed up by the numbers. Looking at all pitchers since 1901 who have thrown at least 1000 innings in the major leagues, Martinez is in the 95th percentile for hit batters per 200 innings pitched (HBP/200 IP). Drysdale is in the 92nd percentile. They really did hit a higher percentage of batters than most other pitchers in baseball history.

Early Wynn, on the other hand, looks to be more bark than bite. Despite his quote about throwing at his mom, he ranks in the 19th percentile in HBP/200 IP. In a 200-inning season, Wynn averaged 2.8 hit batters. Martinez hit three-and-half times as many hitters, averaging 10.0 HBP/200 IP.

Then there’s the curious case of Bob Gibson.

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