Ellsbury racking up catcher’s interference calls

Jacoby Ellsbury doesn’t know why it’s happening so often now, he says, because his swing has always been fundamentally the same. This season, though, he just keeps hitting the catcher’s mitt with his bat.

Ellsbury has reached base via catcher’s interference nine times this year, a Major League single-season record — surpassing a mark set by Roberto Kelly, who had eight in 1992 with the Yankees — and New York has only played 100 games.

“It’s really the catchers,” Ellsbury said. “I just have my swing, and it’s catcher’s interference, not batter’s interference. So I guess you would have to ask them.”

By now, opposing catchers are aware of Ellsbury’s tendencies. The 32-year-old has drawn a high number of catcher’s interference calls in 2016, but he also has 23, the second-most all-time, trailing only Pete Rose’s 29.

Giants manager and former catcher Bruce Bochy, asked if he informed his backstops of Ellsbury’s penchant for generating interferences, said simply, “They know about it.”

Angels manager Mike Scioscia, who was also a catcher, said the same. Ellsbury’s swing type — letting pitches get deep, hands pulled back, before driving down toward the ball — goes into their scouting reports. (Scioscia was once victimized by Rose; Bochy twice.)

For a catcher, there might be a viable counter: Back up and try not to stick your glove out too …

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