NEW YORK — Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!
Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl tied a major league record Friday night when he was hit by a pitch three times — by three different New York Mets hurlers.
The five-foot-eight Friedl was plunked on the left forearm by a 91 m.p.h. fastball from left-hander Sean Manaea in the third inning and on the left foot by an 85 m.p.h. slider from right-handed reliever Alex Carrillo in the fifth.
Mets lefty Brandon Waddell then drilled Friedl on the left hand with a 91 m.p.h. sinker in the eighth.
“The lefties, it makes more sense because everything is away and I’m trying to stick my nose in there,” Friedl said. “The last one, that one stung!”
It was the 39th time in the modern era (since 1901) that a hitter got nailed three times in one game. It’s happened to 34 different players — the only previous Reds batter was Derek Dietrich at Milwaukee on June 21, 2019.
Two other major leaguers have been plunked three times in a game this season: Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams on May 31 at Arizona, and Colorado’s Tyler Freeman on June 17 at Washington.
Batting leadoff, Friedl finished 0-for-2 but scored twice in an 8-4 victory over the Mets. He expects to be in the lineup Saturday and joked that he didn’t want a day off anyway.
