"Hit in the Head" By S.L. Price

“Hit in the Head” is an article in the April 20, 2009 edition of Sports Illustrated how the deaths from thrown or batted baseballs, although rare, send shockwaves of fear through the league. The article tells of a number of major and minor league baseball players who suffered from injuries and even death due to thrown or batted baseballs. However, the players are not the only people at the games who have suffered from injury or death. There have also been instances in which umpires, coaches, and even fans were injured or killed by baseballs.

According to Bob Gorman, a researcher, there have been nine minor league players and 111 amateur players killed as a result of beanings in the head since 1887. In addition, more than ninety other players were killed by pitches that hit other body parts, usually the chest. Fifty-two spectators have been killed by foul balls, two of those deaths occurring in major league games

Raymond Chapman was the first major league player to be killed by a baseball. On August 16, 1920, Chapman, who played for the Cleveland Indians, was killed by a pitch by Yankees pitcher Carl Mays. Chapman was hit in the temple and died the next day. He was only twenty-nine years old. Then in June 1951 Ottis Johnson of the Dothan Browns was hit in the temple by Headland Dixie Runners’ Jack Clifton. Johnson died eight days later. In the same month Richard Conway, a catcher for Twin Falls Cowboys was killed during fielding practice after a throw hit him just below the heart. In addition to these two over twenty other baseball players, umpires, coaches, and fans were mentioned in the article having either been injured or killed by baseballs.

Among the players hit by baseballs were Tony Conigliaro, Raul Cabrera, and most recently Joe Martinez. Conigliaro, rightfielder for the Boston Red Sox, was hit in the side of the head by a pitch from Jack Hamilton of the Angels in August of 1967. Conigliaro’s retina was permanently damaged, and in 1982 Conigliaro suffered a stroke and was in a vegetative state until 1990, when he passed away. Raul Cabrera was a Puerto Rican baseball player who was killed after he was hit in the throat by a foul tip during an amateur game in the early 1970s. Joe Martinez, the San Francisco Giants relief pitcher was hit in the head last Thursday (April 9) by a line drive off the bat of Mike Cameron of the Milwaukee Brewers. Martinez left the game with a bleeding forehead and swollen right eye. Martinez received a concussion and three hairline fractures in his skull, however was expected to fully recover. Martinez was released from the hospital on Monday (April 13).

There have also been a number of umpires, coaches, and other field personnel who have been hit by baseballs during games. In 1964, a thirteen year old boy, Jerry Highfill, died after he was hit in the head while retrieving baseballs from batting practice. Five years later umpire Cal Drummond was hit in mask by a foul tip and suffered brain damage. Drummond died one year later from a stroke caused by decreased blood supply to the affected area. Mike Coolbaugh, a minor league coach, was hit in the back of the neck with a batted ball. He died almost instantly. Foul balls have also been known to kill fans. In 1960 Dominic LaSala died after being hit by a foul ball during a minor league game. In 1970, Alan Fish, a fourteen year old boy, died five days after he was hit by a foul ball at a major league game.

This article shows how dangerous of a sport baseball truly is. Usually when I think of dangerous sports, football is the first one to come to mind. However, after reading this article, I have a new understanding of how dangerous all sports can be.