Ty France Surpasses M's Legend Edgar Martinez on Historic List on Friday
Seattle Mariners' first baseman Ty France moved to the top of a painful list in team history on Friday night.
France, who was hit by a pitch in the first inning, has now been hit 90 times as a member of the Mariners. That surpassed Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez for the No. 1 spot.
Per @MarinersPR:
Ty France has set the record for most hit-by-pitches (90) in @Mariners history, surpassing Edgar Martinez (89 HBP).
Ty France has set the record for most hit-by-pitches (90) in @Mariners history, surpassing Edgar Martinez (89 HBP).
— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) June 8, 2024
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 six times in 61 games. While not a pleasant experience, getting hit is certainly part of France's toolkit for getting on base. A lifetime .269 hitter, France has a .343 career on-base percentage, buoyed by his ability to get hit and get on base.
This year, France is hitting .251 with seven homers. He had a good night on Friday, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, a walk, an RBI and a run scored.
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 Royals again on Saturday at 2:10 p.m. PT.
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