Bruises for bases: Guyer racking up HBPs

ARLINGTON — Brandon Guyer was sporting a bright red bruise on the side of his left shin on Saturday evening. It was the result of the latest pitch to tail low and in and strike the Indians outfielder, who has become baseball’s new hit-by-pitch king.

That is a crown Guyer is reluctant to wear.

“There’s no plan ever to get hit by a pitch,” Guyer said. “That’s the last thing I want. I just don’t know how to move, so it happens.”

Entering Saturday’s game against Texas, Guyer led the Majors in hit-by-pitch with 27 this season. That includes a pair — one off the shin in the sixth inning and another off his left foot in the eighth — during Friday’s 12-1 win over the Rangers, marking the fourth game this season he has been hit at least twice. He was hit three times in a game against the Red Sox on April 21.

Over the past two seasons, Guyer has been hit a Major League-high 51 times, with Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs in second with 44. Guyer’s 27 this year are the most by an American League hitter since 2002, when David Eckstein was also hit 27 times. The AL record is 35 by Don Baylor in 1986, while the MLB mark is 50 in 1971 by Ron Hunt.

Guyer’s knack for getting hit stems from the stride before his swing. The right-handed batter does not crowd the plate in an extreme manner, but when he lifts his left leg and drives forward, his foot tends to land on or near …

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