Sam Antonacci Reaches Base on 8 Hit-by-Pitches in 26 Games
sam antonacci keeps getting on base the hard way. The White Sox rookie has been hit by pitches eight times in 26 major league games since arriving in the majors, and his.389 on-base percentage led the team heading into Friday’s 10-5 loss to the Cubs.
Antonacci And The White Sox
“It’s not the most fun, but it’s fun getting on base,” Antonacci said Friday. That line fits the numbers. He has turned hit-by-pitches into a steady source of traffic for a lineup that entered the game with the best on-base percentage in baseball at.353 since April 17.
Will Venable said the hit-by-pitch production is part of Antonacci’s game. “That’s part of his game. It’s a real skill that he’s got,” the manager said Friday. “He gets on base a ton. Some of it is by hit by pitch. He sticks his nose in there and is not backing away. It’s part of who it is.”
April 17 And Beyond
April 17 was the day Antonacci was hit for the first time as a big leaguer, and the White Sox have been on a strong run at the plate since then. The club’s.353 on-base percentage over that span put it first in baseball, with Antonacci’s ability to take a pitch off the body helping feed that total.
He also said after Wednesday night’s win over the Royals that the latest one hurt more. “That one hurt a little bit more the other night,” he said. “Some people were saying it was on purpose, but I’m all for that. That’s how baseball should be played. That’s how it was back in the old days.”
Crosstown At Rate Field
The White Sox entered the Crosstown game at Rate Field with Antonacci carrying the team’s top on-base mark, then saw him finish 1-for-4 against the Cubs. The loss dropped another game into the standings, but the larger storyline stayed the same: a rookie reaching base often enough, and oddly enough, by getting hit, to help a club that has already led the majors in on-base percentage since April 17.
That gives the White Sox a usable edge early in Antonacci’s major league run. If he keeps drawing contact and keeping his OBP near.389, the on-base production that has carried the club since his first plunking should keep running through him.
