Not only is it FanGraphs, but it’s Jeff Sullivan, so you know it’s worth reading. And not only is it Sullivan, but it’s on the topic of a pitcher getting hit by a comebacker, a topic on which he has first-hand experience.
FanGraphs: 3 Things On Brandon McCarthy
Brandon McCarthy was hit by a comebacker on Wednesday. He wasn't the first pitcher to get hit this season, and he wasn't going to be the last. What makes this a story is the severity of the injury -- McCarthy required brain surgery to repair a skull fracture and brain hemorrhaging. It's the most serious injury on a comebacker in the majors since at least Juan Nicasio last year, which was one of the most serious since Bryce Florie.
Sullivan makes three points in his article for FanGraphs: 1. Brandon McCarthy can still be lucky, even as he's extremely unlucky; 2. Don't forget that this scenario is horrible for Erick Aybar, too; and 3. It's long overdue to protect the pitchers.
Hitters stand 60’6 away from the pitchers and wear helmets to protect them from errant fastballs. Pitchers stand 60’6 away from the hitters and wear hats to protect them from line drives that come off the bat just as fast, or faster, than the pitch itself.Hats. That’s all they have. And, unfortunately, it takes an incident like this to get the conversation started, just like it takes a catcher getting liquefied at home plate to start that conversation.
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