BALTIMORE -- David Eckstein chuckled at the question. No, there's no bulls-eye on his body that only opposing pitchers see. It just seems that way.

The Anaheim Angels shortstop was hit by a pitch Thursday night for a major league-leading 26th time. A hard overhand curve by Tampa Bay left-hander Joe Kennedy broke sharply down and hit Eckstein flush on the right ankle.

"Sometimes," said Eckstein, "you just can't get out of the way."

If he ever forgets that mantra, Eckstein has enough reminders within arm's reach. He pulls up his warm-up shorts to expose a reddish-purple welt on his left thigh. There are plenty of bruises, knicks and sore spots to last a typical player a lifetime.

But they are less of a nuisance and more of an occupational hazard in the life of a leadoff hitter, he explained. BALTIMORE -- David Eckstein chuckled at the question. No, there's no bulls-eye on his body that only opposing pitchers see. It just seems that way. David Eckstein / SS Height: 5'7" Weight: 170 Bats/Throws: R/R More info: Player page Stats Splits Hit chart angelsbaseball.com The Anaheim Angels shortstop was hit by a pitch Thursday night for a major league-leading 26th time. A hard overhand curve by Tampa Bay left-hander Joe Kennedy broke sharply down and hit Eckstein flush on the right ankle. "Sometimes," said Eckstein, "you just can't get out of the way." If he ever forgets that mantra, Eckstein has enough reminders within arm's reach. He pulls up his warm-up shorts to expose a reddish-purple welt on his left thigh. There are plenty of bruises, knicks and sore spots to last a typical player a lifetime. But they are less of a nuisance and more of an occupational hazard in the life of a leadoff hitter, he explained. "All my life I've been hit," Eckstein said. "The way I stand in the box, I'm right on top of the plate so I can cover the outside part. If I start backing away off that inside pitch, the pitchers are good enough that they can throw it right there for a strike. So I don't try to give an inch." Angels manager Mike Scioscia has grown accustomed to seeing Eckstein plunked with regularity. But Thursday in Tampa, Scioscia briefly thought he was going to have to summon a pinch-runner for Eckstein, who carried a career-high 12-game hitting streak into the opener of a three-game series at Baltimore on Friday. "He was hurting. For Eck to take that long to get moving, he was hurting," Scioscia said. "I was at the top (dugout) step." But Eckstein just trotted -- albeit a little more slowly -- down the line to take his base. The trouble came when Kennedy thought he might be stealing, a trick good baserunners try to pull when an opposing pitcher falls asleep after hitting a batter. "Kennedy must have thrown over there four or five times," Eckstein said. "And every time I went back into the base, I mean it hurt. I finally told Rays first baseman, Steve Cox, to go tell Kennedy I wasn't faking and I wasn't stealing." Eckstein hasn't suffered any serious injuries while participating in target practice this season. Back in the summer of 1995, when he was playing summer league ball after the University of Florida season, he was hit in the right hand, breaking a bone. But he didn't shy away then and he's not about to start now. "You can't think of it like that," he said. "If you do, you change your game." That's something Eckstein isn't prepared to do. Not after it finally got him to the majors last season. Not after a 3-for-3 night with a career-high four runs scored Thursday raised his average to .300. "I like his approach," said Angels hitting coach Mickey Hatcher. "It makes it tougher for the pitcher to pitch and that gives the hitter an advantage. When you get hit a lot, it just means your plate coverage is good. "But it's nothing we have to fix. It's working fine. He's the guy who gets things started for us and when he does that it's frustrates the pitcher. ... They know that if they come inside, they might make a mistake that might cost them."

"All my life I've been hit," Eckstein said. "The way I stand in the box, I'm right on top of the plate so I can cover the outside part. If I start backing away off that inside pitch, the pitchers are good enough that they can throw it right there for a strike. So I don't try to give an inch."

Angels manager Mike Scioscia has grown accustomed to seeing Eckstein plunked with regularity. But Thursday in Tampa, Scioscia briefly thought he was going to have to summon a pinch-runner for Eckstein, who carried a career-high 12-game hitting streak into the opener of a three-game series at Baltimore on Friday.

"He was hurting. For Eck to take that long to get moving, he was hurting," Scioscia said. "I was at the top (dugout) step."

But Eckstein just trotted -- albeit a little more slowly -- down the line to take his base. The trouble came when Kennedy thought he might be stealing, a trick good baserunners try to pull when an opposing pitcher falls asleep after hitting a batter.

"Kennedy must have thrown over there four or five times," Eckstein said. "And every time I went back into the base, I mean it hurt. I finally told Rays first baseman, Steve Cox, to go tell Kennedy I wasn't faking and I wasn't stealing."

Eckstein hasn't suffered any serious injuries while participating in target practice this season. Back in the summer of 1995, when he was playing summer league ball after the University of Florida season, he was hit in the right hand, breaking a bone.

But he didn't shy away then and he's not about to start now. "You can't think of it like that," he said. "If you do, you change your game."

That's something Eckstein isn't prepared to do. Not after it finally got him to the majors last season. Not after a 3-for-3 night with a career-high four runs scored Thursday raised his average to .300.

"I like his approach," said Angels hitting coach Mickey Hatcher. "It makes it tougher for the pitcher to pitch and that gives the hitter an advantage. When you get hit a lot, it just means your plate coverage is good.

"But it's nothing we have to fix. It's working fine. He's the guy who gets things started for us and when he does that it's frustrates the pitcher. ... They know that if they come inside, they might make a mistake that might cost them."