You read about the recent tragedy involving Mike Coolbaugh, the minor league Tulsa Drillers first coach who died after being hit by a line drive off the bat of one of his players. I never met Mike but knew his brother Scott, who played third base for the Hanshin Tigers in 1995.
The coroner's report said Mike Coolbaugh was struck — not in the head as first believed — but in the neck, cutting off blood circulation to his brain. While the accident was obviously a freak occurrence, it should serve as a reminder to all of us at the ballpark to pay attention to what's going on and stay alert for a possible line drive heading our way.
Until Coolbaugh's death, I had not heard about anyone being killed after being struck by a baseball, except for Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman. He was hit in the temple by a pitch thrown by New York Yankees pitcher Carl Mays in the pre-batting helmet era on Aug. 16, 1920, at the Polo Grounds in New York.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.