photos of beanings
I'm not sure of the number of batters who were hit by pitched balls in those days, but as there were no protective helmets, anybody who was hit was in a life threatening situation. Remember, Walter Johnson, unintentionally wild, was always afraid he would kill a hitter.
The first game I ever attended was in Detroit in 1956. A Tigers pitcher sent Vic Power flying. Power left the field for a moment and returned wearing a plastic helmet, which wasn't mandatory until 1957. The crowd thought the entire episode was greatly amusing. I remember that well.
Oh, pitchers hit by batted balls. Bubba Church was hit in the face/head in 1950, I believe. I doubt if he was the first. This was shortly before my time; I don't know how the press covered the event, but I do remember Herb Score. The photo of Score, flat on the ground with blood running down his face, was
impossible to avoid. That happened with Tony C., too, didn't it.
The old local television adage, "If it bleeds, it leads."
lumberjack
|