Ouch: College baseball player plunked seven times(!) in doubleheader-InfoExpress
Sacramento State outfielder Matt Masciangelo might be a little sore after playing in a doubleheader on Friday.
That's because in his eight plate appearances in a doubleheader against Loyola Marymount, Masciangelo was hit by a pitch seven times.
He was plunked three times in Game 1 and four times in the second game. He was only hit by a pitch once last season in 20 games with Cal State Bakersfield.
Only one major leaguer in history has been as many as five times in a doubleheader – Frank Chance of the Chicago Cubs was drilled that many times by the Cincinnati Reds on May 30, 1904.
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"After the third HBP in the first game, I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation,” said Masciangelo, via MLB.com. “It's not every day you find yourself trotting to first base, multiple times, without swinging. I guess it was after that moment I realized this was completely ludicrous. I had four more balls unfortunately find me after that, but hey, I’ll take the on-base-percentage bump.”
Masciangelo, a junior left-handed outfielder from Huntington Beach, California, said he didn't think that Loyola Marymount's pitching staff threw at him on purpose.
“That thought never crossed my mind, none of [them] felt malicious,” he said. “Baseball is a strategic game, and sometimes in the heat of the moment pitches get away from even the best pitchers. I like to give them the benefit of the doubt and focus on how I can use each opportunity to help my team win games, even if it means taking a few for the team.”
Loyola Marymount won the opener 4-0 and also took the second game of the doubleheader 12-10 in 11 innings.
