SI

Mariners Celebrate Ty France's HBP Franchise Record With Hilarious Graphic

Tom Dierberger

Mariners first baseman Ty France gets hit by pitch during the eighth inning of a game in July 2023.
Mariners first baseman Ty France gets hit by pitch during the eighth inning of a game in July 2023. / Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports
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Ty France shattered a longstanding franchise record in Seattle Mariners history Friday night when he was hit by a pitch in the first inning during his team's 10–9 loss to the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

It marked the 90th time France was hit by a pitch over his five years in Seattle, dethroning former designated hitter Edgar Martinez, who was hit by a pitch 89 times across 2,055 games in a Mariners uniform. France only took 534 games to reach 90 HBP.

To properly honor the moment, the Mariners' social media team prepared a special graphic depicting France grimacing as he was about to get beaned by a baseball.

France has led the big leagues in HBP twice in his career, getting beaned 27 times in 2021 and 34 times in '23. He has been hit by six pitches in 61 games so far this season.

France currently sits in 107th place in MLB history on the HBP leaderboard with 98 (he was hit by eight pitches while playing for the San Diego Padres from 2019 to '20). France has some painful work to do to climb that leaderboard, as he chases all-time HBP leader Hughie Jennings, who was beaned 287 times across 1,284 games from 1891 to 1918.

MLB fans loved the Mariners' funny graphic:

France and the Mariners return to the field at 4:10 p.m. ET Saturday to continue their series against the Royals.

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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