Nineteen games into the season, the two things that seem to be following the Mets around are winning, and hit by pitches.
Two more on Tuesday night, one of them striking Pete Alonso in the head, brings New York's season total to 18, seven more than the next highest club's total.
Of course, some of them are clearly not intentional, as Starling Marte was plunked with the bases loaded in the ninth inning to force in a run on Tuesday, but that doesn't make it any more tolerable for the batters in the box, who have seen teammates plunked in the face or head multiple times this season, or been a victim of it themselves.
"It's uncomfortable," Marte said through an interpreter after being visibly frustrated when he was hit by a pitch. "Whether it's intentional or not, it has to stop. We're tired of it and we're going to have to do something about it if it continues to happen, because it is uncomfortable when every single time you're out there, you're getting hit."
Alonso, who was hit in the face earlier this season, was hit in the head on Tuesday, causing both benches to be warned while the Mets again expressed how tired they were of getting dangerously hit with frequency to start the season.
"It's extremely annoying to see your teammates constantly get hit," Chris Bassitt said. "If we get hit by certain pitches, it is what it is. But to get hit in the head, the amount that we're getting hit, it's unbelievable."
Bassitt followed up those comments by sounding off on the inconsistency of the baseballs this year, but whatever the reason, the Mets are averaging nearly one HBP per game this season, and however it needs to happen, they just want to see it end.
"It's a problem we have in MLB in general…my concern is about our team," Buck Showalter said. "You talk to a lot of pitchers about the grip, but we're leading baseball by six or seven now. It's one thing to get hit on the foot or knee, but we're getting hit in the head and neck. It's just not good."
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