The Year in In-Zone Hit-By-Pitches

FanGraphs writer Davy Andrews examines the phenomenon of batters being awarded first base after being struck by pitches located inside the strike zone during the 2026 Major League Baseball season. Despite the introduction of the automated ball-strike challenge system, which theoretically allows teams to challenge whether a pitch was in the strike zone, four in-zone hit-by-pitches occurred in 2026 without any catcher initiating a challenge.

Andrews highlights specific incidents involving batters Mike Trout, Tyler Heineman, Austin Martin, and Alejandro Osuna, pointing out that three of these occurrences should have resulted in called third strikes. Statcast data reveals that 24 of the 40 tracked in-zone hit-by-pitches since 2008 took place with two strikes, indicating that batters frequently lean into pitches to evade strikeouts.