In a painful—and record—day at the office, Philadelphia Phillies prospect Otto Kemp was hit by a pitch four times in the Lehigh Valley IronPigs' 7-3 win over the Columbus Clippers on Tuesday. On a night where fans at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, Pa., were treated to seeing Phillies lefthander Ranger Suarez pitch in a rehab assignment, Kemp stole the show—but not in the way he would have hoped.
In his first trip to the plate in the bottom of the first inning, Kemp was plunked in his left thigh by a 91-MPH fastball. In the second inning, Kemp again took a fastball to the body, this time to his left hand.
VIDEO: Otto Kemp gets hit by a pitch FOUR times last night. pic.twitter.com/3Upod1L8e5
— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) April 23, 2025
In the bottom of the fourth inning, the IronPigs third baseman mercifully broke up the painful pattern that was beginning to develop, as he laced a double to center field and later scored in the inning.
And with pitcher Parker Messick, who had plunked Kemp twice, out of the game, surely his troubles were over, right? Unfortunately, no. Facing Clippers righthander Mason Hickman in the bottom of the sixth, Kemp took one for the team off of his derriere. Moments later, he got some measure of revenge, swiping second base against Hickman.
Finally, in the bottom of the seventh inning, the 25-year-old was hit by an 82-MPH slider on his left ankle—by a third pitcher no less. Kemp's final line on the day—1-for-1 with a double and four HBPs, which is an IronPigs record.
Take one (or four) for the team! Otto Kemp set an IronPigs record last night, getting hit 4 times in one game #ironpigs #ottokemp #wegotice #baseball
Posted by Lehigh Valley IronPigs on Wednesday, April 23, 2025
While it's not exactly clear what the minor league record for HBPs in one game is, the big league record is three. Should Kemp one day make it to the majors, he could threaten that record, given his propensity to stand close to the plate in the batter's box.
In 270 career minor league games, Kemp has been plunked 54 times.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Phillies Prospect Sets Painful Hit by Pitch Record.
