Sacramento State OF Was Hit by Pitch Seven Times During College Baseball Doubleheader

This Sacramento State baseball player was on base quite a bit for a unique reason.
Sacramento State OF Was Hit by Pitch Seven Times During College Baseball Doubleheader
Sacramento State OF Was Hit by Pitch Seven Times During College Baseball Doubleheader /

Sacramento State outfielder Matt Masciangelo will likely want to forget Friday’s season-opening doubleheader against Loyola Marymount, even though it will go down as one of the most memorable performances on a baseball diamond in recent memory.

Masciangelo reached base seven times in eight plate appearances, but did so in perhaps the most unique way possible. The Hornets outfielder was hit by a pitch three times in the first game, then four more times during the nightcap. 

Masciangelo was a good sport about the sore subject after the game, joking that he would "take the on-base percentage bump," per Thomas Hartigan of MLB.com

Here's footage of all eight of Masciangelo's plate appearances, complete with the incredulous reactions from the commentators, courtesy of Rob Friedman on X (formerly Twitter.) 

“After the third HBP in the first game, I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. It's not every day you find yourself trotting to first base, multiple times, without swinging," Masciangelo said. "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 record for the most HBPs in a MLB game is three—and five for a doubleheader. If anything, Masciangelo can take solace in the fact that he wasn't being targeted intentionally, as the Loyola Marymount pitching staff had 11 hit batsmen across the two games played. 

One thing is for sure. 

Masciangelo's painful performance is a record that no one wants to break. 


Published
Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.