Giants pitcher hit in head by line drive

[Upton]

For those of you who watched the Giants game yesterday or have seen it on the highlights, you know that Giants pitcher Joe Martinez got hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of Mike Cameron in the 9th inning. For those of you who haven't caught it, here's a clip of what happened.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090409&content_id=4205706&vkey=news_sf&fext=.jsp&c_id=sf&partnerId=rss_sf


The report now is that Martinez has a concussion and three small fractures in his head but is expected to make a full recovery.

[madinmaryland]

1. It's amazing that it doesn't happen more often. Scary.

[Auggie]

2. Memories of pitcher Herb Score, Cleveland Indians, 1957

From Wiki:

On May 7, 1957, against the New York Yankees, Score was struck in the face by a line drive off the bat of Gil McDougald, breaking numerous bones in his face and leaving him quite bloodied. McDougald reportedly vowed to retire if Score was blinded as a result, but Score actually eventually recovered his 20/20 vision, though he missed the rest of the season. Score returned late in the 1958 season.

Though many believe he feared being hit by another batted ball, and thus changed his pitching motion, Score himself rejected that theory. He would tell Cleveland sportswriter Terry Pluto (for The Curse of Rocky Colavito) that, in 1958, after pitching and winning a few games and feeling better than he'd felt in a long time, he tore a tendon in his arm while pitching on a damp night against the Washington Senators. He sat out the rest of the season but, returning for 1959, he'd shifted his pitching motion in a bid to avoid another, similar injury. "The reason my motion changed," he told Pluto, "was because I hurt my elbow, and I overcompensated for it and ended up with some bad habits."

[hughee99]

6. Or Bryce Florie for the Red Sox back in 2000

He was hit in the face. When he came back, his eyes weren't right, and he couldn't pitch in night games because the glare from the lights made it difficult to see the plate. He only pitched in 7 major league games after the incident.

[El Supremo]

8. Or Kirby Puckett

Never was the same again.

[El Supremo]

3. I saw it happen.

Just got home from work and turned on that MLB station, then wow! It made me sick. Hope he'll be OK.


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[Captain Hilts]

4. Here's hoping his recovery is a prompt one. nt

[MrPerson]

5. I hope he's OK.

[Onceuponalife]

7. Just rub some clear on it

It will be right as rain in no time.

[petronius]

9. Wow - I'm surprised he got up so quickly (even temporarily)

This made me laugh, however: "Cameron, for his part, looked away in horror after the hit. He pulled into second and hung his head, unable to watch." Yeah, but he still managed to grab that extra base, didn't he? </attempt-to-be-funny>

Hope Martinez is OK...