Sam Antonacci Breaks White Sox Franchise Record

Before he ever stepped onto the field in a Chicago White Sox uniform, it was clear that Sam Antonacci had a unique skill for getting hit by pitches.

In one season at Coastal Carolina before being drafted by the White Sox, Antonacci was hit by a pitch 27 times in 61 games.

In his first full professional season, Antonacci was hit by a pitch 35 times in 116 minor league games.

No MLB player has been hit by 35 pitches in a single season since Don Baylor with the 1986 Boston Red Sox, and it's only happened twice in the modern era. Baylor was drilled 35 times in 160 games in 1986, while Ron Hunt was hit 50 times over 152 games with the 1971 Montreal Expos.

Needless to say, the start of Antonacci's professional career showed that he a ball magnet at almost unprecedented levels. And now, in his rookie season in Major League Baseball, he has broken a longstanding White Sox franchise record.

In Sunday's series finale against the New York Mets, Antonacci was hit by a pitch from Nolan McLean in the bottom of the fifth inning. It was an inside curveball that deflected off his back leg and was Antonacci's 24th hit by pitch of the season. That leads the American League. It also set a new White Sox single-season franchise record, breaking a tie with Carlos Quentin in 2011 and Minnie Miñoso in 1956.

Only 10 times in the modern era has a player been hit by a pitch 30 or more times in a single season. And it's often repeat offenders who manage to work their way on base via hit by pitch on an annual basis. It can hardly be classified as luck.

Antonacci sets up close to the plate and understands the art of taking one for the team. He's not afraid to stand still in the batter's box or even throw an elbow at the baseball if it means getting on base and giving the White Sox a better chance to score runs. It's a big reason for his .365 on-base percentage through 110 games of his rookie season and why his offensive floor remains incredibly high.

Sam Antonacci is now a White Sox franchise record holder, and he'll continue to build upon that record over the final month of the 2026 regular season.

The all-time White Sox franchise record for career hit by pitches is 145, held by Minnie Miñoso. Remarkably, Antonacci might be able to surpass that number within six or seven MLB seasons at this rate.