Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander believes that Red Sox outfielder Shane Victorino is going up to the plate purposefully looking to get hit by a pitch, reports the Boston Globe.
ALCS 2013: Verlander: Victorino trying to get hit
Victorino has been hit by a lot of pitches the past two months, and the Tigers’ starter believes he may be intentionally looking to be plunked.
Is Justin Verlander right about Shane Victorino and HBP?
Over the Monster takes a look at how accurate Justin Verlander's allegations about Shane Victorino are. Victorino has been hit five times in the playoffs and was plunked 18 times in the regular season, including 15 times after he began to exclusively hit right-handed in August.
Said Verlander:
“Anything on the inner half, occasionally he’s looking to get hit. He’s up there, he’s right on top of the plate. And his arms are over the batter’s box and over part of the plate. If he doesn’t get out of the way, there could be an occasion that it could be a strike and it actually hits him.”
Verlander believes that umpires should be more mindful of Victorino looking to crowd the plate and get hit by a pitch in order to get on base. Under MLB rules, a batter hit by a pitch should only be awarded first base if the pitch would otherwise be called a ball and if the batter did enough to get out of the way of the pitch.
The Tigers have plunked Victorino just once, when a Max Scherzer offering got a piece of him in Game 2 of the ALCS.
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