Editing Hit by pitch (section)

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Short description|Baseball statistic}}
[[Image:Hit by pitch joe crede.JPG|thumb|right|[[Joe Crede]] of the [[Chicago White Sox]] being hit by a pitch]]
In baseball, '''hit by pitch''' ('''HBP''') is an event in which a [[batter (baseball)|batter]] or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from the [[pitcher]]; the batter is called a '''hit batsman''' ('''HB'''). A hit batsman is awarded first base, provided that (in the plate [[umpire]]'s judgment) he made an honest effort to avoid the pitch, although failure to do so is rarely called by an umpire. Being hit by a pitch is often caused by a batter standing too close to, or "crowding", home plate. {{citation_needed|date=June 2023}}

The rule dates from 1887; before that, a pitch that struck the batter was merely a [[ball (baseball statistics)|ball]].