Hit by Pitch

A hit by pitch (HBP) occurs when a pitched ball strikes the batter's body (or clothing) and the umpire awards first base. The batter does not swing. The ball becomes dead, baserunners advance only if forced, and the at-bat is charged to the pitcher but not as a hit against the pitcher's stats.

Scoring Rules

• The batter is awarded first base
• Baserunners advance only if forced (bases loaded, or a runner is directly behind the batter's base)
• The play is recorded as HBP in the scorebook
• The at-bat counts against the pitcher's total batters faced but not as a hit or walk

How It Affects Statistics

For the batter:

• Does NOT count as a hit, batting average is unaffected
• DOES count toward on-base percentage (OBP)
• OBP formula: (H + BB + HBP) / (AB + BB + HBP + SF)

For the pitcher:

• Counts toward batters faced and WHIP denominator
• Does not count as an earned run unless the runner scores

When It Does Not Count

A batter is NOT awarded first base if:

• The pitch was a strike and the batter did not attempt to avoid it (umpire discretion varies by level)
• The batter made no attempt to get out of the way (youth rule variations exist)
• The pitch hit the batter's hands while they were holding the bat in a swing attempt, this is ruled a strike or foul, not HBP

Youth Baseball Note

In most youth leagues, if a batter freezes on a pitch that hits them, they are still awarded first base as long as the pitch was not a strike. Teaching young hitters to turn away from inside pitches (protect themselves with their back, not their face) is both a safety skill and smart baseball.

Strategic Value

Some hitters are skilled at getting hit by pitches, particularly at higher levels. Getting on base any way possible has real offensive value. HBP rates contribute to OBP, and OBP is one of the strongest indicators of run scoring at every level of the game.