New Sacramento State outfielder Matt Masciangelo may have set a record on Friday when he was hit an astounding seven times during a season-opening doubleheader, according to Fox News. While some may have assumed ill intent on the part of the other team, Masciangelo was quick to say after the game that none of the incidents “felt malicious” and that he doesn’t believe that any of the pitchers from opponent Loyola Marymount meant to hit him.
Sacramento State’s social media team posted a video montage of Masciangelo’s painful moments on X.com early Saturday morning.
Masciangelo, who was hit three times in the first game and four more times in the second game, viewed his collection of bruises in the best light possible. “As fate would have it, I consistently found my way to first base without swinging the bat. Maybe it was my stance or the pitchers’ game plan to come inside, but either way, it was an unusual way to get on base.”
In baseball, some hitters consistently rack up high hit by pitch numbers on purpose by crowding the plate and being less-than-enthusiastic about avoiding pitches. Former major leaguers Carlos Quentin, Andres Galarraga, and Paul Konerko, among others, were notorious HBP magnets. Masciangelo, however, was only hit by a pitch once all of last season, suggesting that Friday’s beanfest was truly a freak occurrence.
“After the third HBP in the first game, I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation,” Masciangelo told MLB.com. “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.”
The all-time major league record for HBPs in a single day is a measly five. Collegiate records are not catalogued as diligently or thoroughly as major league records, so it is difficult to say if Masciangelo’s feat is truly an NCAA record, but it certainly is a day that he’ll remember for longer than it takes for his many bruises to fade.