Line Drives Are Potentially Lethal

Among the happiest rites of spring is the arrival of America’s long beloved pastime, baseball season, no matter whether it’s “The Show,” college or high school ball, organized little, colt or pony leagues or just a bunch of kids getting together on the sand lot. But, just as with every vigorous sport, there lurks on the sidelines, little seen or thought about, the potential for serious injury. And, in the case of baseball, one serious danger is a line drive shot to the head. In games between older athletes, a 96 mph fastball hit with full force can be shot back at the pitcher at more than 120 mph because the force of the bat is added to the rebounding speed of the ball. In the case of fastballs thrown by smaller kids, the speeds involved are less, but no less dangerous. On the morning of Saturday, April 10th, a Beaumont 12-year-old was playing yard ball with a bunch of friends. He pitched a fastball, which the hitter caught  with his bat’s “sweet spot” and the ball rifled back to the pitcher striking him directly behind his right ear, fracturing his skull and sending him crumpled to the ground unconscious. The boy’s father was right there and rushed to the boy’s side and he was soon Life Flighted to Houston’s Texas Children’s Hospital, where he was admitted into ICU in critical condition. Fortunately, the boy is now in stable condition and is expected to fully recover. But, for a few hours, his young life hung by a thread.

The boy’s dad has called for helmets for pitchers, but this isn’t a case for more or better equipment so much as it’s a reminder that even a graceful sport like baseball can present serious, unanticipated dangers to the participants. This young boy has turned out to be very lucky. Just please remember that not all sports victims are. That’s no reason not to participate, it’s just a sobering reminder of what can happen in very sudden and unexpected ways.