Last year when Brandon McCarthy was struck in the head with a line drive and was hospitalized, many around the game started talking more about the safety of pitchers on the mound and that conversation has come up again as Toronto starter J.A. Happ was hit on Tuesday night.
Happ was released from the hospital in Florida on Wednesday, but the incident highlights a serious issue that the MLB has been thinking about for a number of years. Happ was hit with a line drive from Desmond Jennings as the Blue Jays played the Tampa Bay Rays and after being put on a backboard and taken off the field on a stretcher, he is back out of the hospital. The sound was a loud pop and could be heard all across the stadium, which went silent right after it happened.
Tropicana Field was dead quiet as Happ was looked at and eventually the Blue Jays won the game 6-4, but afterwards all the talk was about Happ and his injury. Happ was able to try and react to the line drive, but it wasn't quick enough as he lifted his glove to his face and it struck him on the head and the bang of the ball on his skull could be heard in the press box.
The players spoke after the game about hearing the bang and RA Dickey said that he could barely watch as it went down. The play was reminiscent of last year's hit on McCarthy, who had life threatening injuries after his incident, keeping him in the hospital for multiple days with a brain contusion that eventually needed surgery. The Happ hit was the fourth time that a pitcher was hit in the past four months and after the most recent one with Happ, MLB vice president Dan Halem said on ESPN radio that things were still being looked at for protective headgear for pitchers.
A number of different pieces of equipment have been looked at by the MLB, but so far they have not found something they think will be good to use on the field during games. He said that the MLB would like to offer an option for pitchers and after McCarthy was hit the call for it became even larger and now with Happ the argument has taken center stage.
