Dodgers: Justin Turner Ties a Strange Franchise Record
File this one under weird facts of the day. When Johnny Cueto plunked Justin Turner in the early innings on Opening Night, he tied a very strange Dodgers record.
As a guy that stands right on top of the plate, Turner is used to getting hit by pitches fairly often. In fact, he has been plunked 88 times in his entire career. More interesting though, is that he just tied the record for most hit by pitches in Dodgers history with 73. He now shares that record with Hall of Fame outfielder Zach Wheat.
Justin Turner has now been hit by as many pitches as anybody in Dodger history, tied at 73 with HOFer Zach Wheat, 1 ahead of Jackie Robinson.
— Joe Davis (@Joe_Davis) July 24, 2020
Wheat played with the Brooklyn Superbas/Robins franchise from 1909 all the way through 1926. He spent 18 years with the organization to reach 73 hit by pitches, while Turner got there in his seventh year with the Dodgers.
A strange record no doubt, but one that has helped Turner to be so productive over the years. In case you were wondering, JT is nowhere near the all-time record for getting plunked. Hughie Jennings played for 18 years and was hit 287 times. The Astros’ Craig Biggio played for 20 years in Houston and was hit 285 times. Turner probably won’t get anywhere close to that.
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Good thing Ron Hunt only played 1 year with us
Ha! He got hit 50 times that one year with the Mets. Easy way to get on base if you know how to twist away just right. Hate to hit by some of today’s pitchers, though. Man, you would add 6-8 mph to every pitch today.