Reds Derek Dietrich Hit with MLB-Record 6 Pitches in 1 Series vs. Brewers

Aaron Gash/Associated Press

Derek Dietrich had a rough couple of games against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Cincinnati Reds second baseman was hit by six pitches in the team's series against Milwaukee, which set an MLB record, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.

"I'm not a stranger of getting hit by pitches, but the way it's been happening this series is just a little bit out of the norm. I don't think any of them were intentional. That was a bad changeup up and in," Dietrich said of the last pitch that hit him. "It was kind of tough to see with the shadows there anyway."

Dietrich was hit by three pitches in Friday's 11-7 win alone, and during the contest Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell argued to the umpires that Dietrich was leaning into pitches in an effort to get hit.

"It's the umpire's judgment if he is intentionally putting himself into the balls. I don't know, but the second one, especially," he said after the game, per Sheldon. "But that's what he does. He's done it his whole career. And he gets hit a lot because of it. In Major League Baseball, I don't know when I've seen [an umpire call it]."

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Dietrich had a different take on the situation.

"I've been trying to make a conscious effort of staying in there, and staying over the plate and getting my best swing off," he said. "I think it's one of those times. Just like you can hit five, six homers in a week, you can get five or six hit-by-pitches in a week."

Hitting five or six homers in a series probably stings a bit less than getting hit by six pitches, though. But Dietrich took it in stride, even flipping his bat after the third time he got hit on Friday:

Dietrich had the last laugh, though, scoring seven runs in the series as the Reds took two of three against the Brewers. It was a unique way to get the job done, and Dietrich would probably prefer getting on base in a different manner going forward.