Ty France Joins Baseball Hall of Famer at Top of Historic List
After being hit by another pitch on Wednesday night, Seattle Mariners' first baseman Ty France has tied Baseball Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez in team history.
Per Adam Jude of the Seattle Times on social media:
Austin Adams hits Ty France to load the bases with two outs.
France ties the franchise record (with Edgar Martinez) with 89 career HBPs.
Austin Adams hits Ty France to load the bases with two outs.
— Adam Jude (@A_Jude) June 6, 2024
France ties the franchise record (with Edgar Martinez) with 89 career HBPs.
What's amazing is that France has spent just parts of five years with the Mariners, while Martinez accumulated his numbers over 18 years. A baseball magnet, France led all of baseball in hit-by-pitches in both 2021 (27) and 2023 (34). He was also hit 21 times in 2022 and likely would have been hit more had he not missed time with an injury that season.
This year, France has already been plunked five times in 59 games. While not a pleasant experience, getting hit is certainly part of France's toolkit for getting on base. A lifetime .268 hitter, France has a .342 career on-base percentage, buoyed by his ability to get hit and get on base.
This year, France is hitting .249 with seven homers.
As for Martinez, he's one of the most revered players in Mariners history. A career-long M's great, he hit .312 for his career with 309 homers. He was a seven-time All-Star, a two-time batting champion and a three-time on-base percentage champion. He was a five-time Silver Slugger who racked up 2,247 hits. Martinez was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.
The Mariners will play the Oakland Athletics on Thursday at 12:37 p.m. PT.
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