Cool story about Justin Turner crowding the plate and getting hit by pitches like a modern Don Baylor or Ron Hunt.
He's been hit by pitches 115 times, and holds the Dodger team record with 96.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/05/03/sports/justin-turner-getting-hit-by-pitches-is-simply-part-my-game/
Even after getting hit in the face in spring training, which looked really bad and bloody, he still stands with his back leg across the inner line of the batter's box, showing no fear.
He's been hit by pitches 115 times, and holds the Dodger team record with 96.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/05/03/sports/justin-turner-getting-hit-by-pitches-is-simply-part-my-game/
Even after getting hit in the face in spring training, which looked really bad and bloody, he still stands with his back leg across the inner line of the batter's box, showing no fear.
He has been okay with taking one for the team ever since he was a kid:Within two weeks, Turner was back in the box, with no change to his approach. He has been hit four times this year, and has walked almost as often (14 times) as he has struck out (17) en route to a .360 on-base percentage while batting third in the lineup.
In the majors, it's become bigger part of his game since he went to the Dodgers and Zack Greinke told him he should move closer to the plate.For Turner, the willingness to take one for the team has its origins in a challenge from his family.
“My dad and my cousin used to pay me for getting hit by pitches,” said Turner, who guessed that he got $1 for getting hit and $5 if he did so in a two-strike count. “It was ingrained in me from a young age.
His approach to each at-bat has been a boost to the lineup. So far, most of the hitters seem to be putting up better and longer at-bats this season. Pete Fatse says that is the goal for the lineup and Turner is a great example of the approach they want everyone to have.While Turner has always considered getting hit a form of success, he repositioned himself in the batter’s box to stand on top of the plate after he joined the Dodgers in 2014. The decision was an outgrowth of a conversation with then-teammate Zack Greinke.
Turner asked the 2009 Cy Young Award winner how he would attack him. Greinke said he’d consider the matter after reviewing video, and he got back to Turner within a day or two.
“He told me he would throw me 100 straight fastballs down and away,” recalled Turner. “I was like, ‘You’re crazy. I get so many hits the other way. Why would you just throw me fastballs away?’
“He goes, ‘Yeah, but have you seen where the pitches are that you get your hits the other way? They’re all closer to you. They’re all middle/middle-in. The ball on the outer half, you’re hitting, like, .150 on.’
“I go, ‘OK, so if you were me, would you stand as close to the plate as you possibly could?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, all your damage is closer to you. You do nothing with the ball further away from you.’ So I was like, ‘All right, I’m gonna stand on the plate.’ ”
That year proved pivotal in Turner’s career. He’d overhauled his swing prior to the season, and coupled with his new setup, he became a headache for opposing pitchers and a force in the middle of the Dodgers order. He hit .340/.404/.493.
Turner hasn't done much damage yet in terms of power, but his OBP and approach are helping a lot. And he is starting to heat up: .444/.474/.556 in 18 AB in the 4-game series against Toronto.Turner won’t be setting any records for hit by pitches with the Red Sox — Kevin Youkilis owns the team mark with 86 — but his new team has been impressed with the veteran’s approach since his spring beaning.
“He’s everything we want to be as an offense,” said hitting coach Pete Fatse. “He’s a tough, tough out, puts the ball in play, can do damage. He’s an overwhelming at-bat for a pitcher because he’s not going to give in.
He wants the "Golden Bruise award."Both Turner and the Sox hope he sets a tone with more than walks and bruises. He has yet to start impacting the ball in a fashion consistent with his career standards of .288/.366/.464. But while he continues the search for his swing, Turner continues to get on base in the top third of the order — through any means necessary.
“That’s kind of the mantra that we set out early at the start of spring training. He embodies all of that. He sets the tone with that.”
Outside the Dodgers clubhouse in Los Angeles, there’s a treasure trove of memorabilia featuring Cy Young Awards, MVP trophies, Silver Sluggers, and Gold Gloves won by Dodgers. Turner considered whether he might claim a spot there.
“I need a plaque in that hallway,” Turner joked. “I haven’t gotten that yet, but I’m waiting for it. I want the Golden Bruise Award, or a golden elbow pad, or something like that.”