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One of the attractive qualities of baseball is that even minor figures can attain a permanent place in the life of the game by influencing play or equipment. Free-swinging Panamanian giant Fernando Seguignol, who hit 10 homers in 162 at-bats for the Expos in 2000 and was later a gaijin favourite for the Nippon Ham Fighters, appears to have found his claim to immortality.
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Comments (5)
Until they learn to make them properly, there is a finite chance of someone getting killed by a shattered maple bat. I'm not sure he would be considered "immortal" at that point.
Posted by Kevin K | August 19, 2008 4:28 PM
Posted on August 19, 2008 16:28
There's no solid evidence that the material is at fault. Bat handles have been getting steadily thinner since about 1950 and whatever they decide to do about the wood there should obviously be some minimum radius. It's an oversight in the rules that there isn't one already.
Also, expecting me to get worked up about "some finite chance" isn't really going to fly.
Posted by Colby Cosh | August 19, 2008 6:01 PM
Posted on August 19, 2008 18:01
Considering that balls are being thrown at ~100mph, I'm sure that someone HAS died as a result of a wild pitch.
If not in the big leagues, at least in the minors.
Posted by Half Canadian | August 19, 2008 10:24 PM
Posted on August 19, 2008 22:24
It's happened in the big leagues (Cleveland SS Ray Chapman, 1920) and dozens of times in the minors.
Posted by Colby Cosh | August 19, 2008 10:29 PM
Posted on August 19, 2008 22:29
Mike Coolbaugh died last year from a line drive that him in the first base coach's box. Hit balls whether foul or line drives at players are obviously going to be more dangerous than broken bats. However, there isn't much you can do about those without changing the nature of the game.
I'm skeptical of the "thin handles" argument because batters were pushing the limits 10 years ago. The observation about maple bats is that when the break the broken bat flies faster away from the break. Testing will determine if this is delusional and certainly the mass production of maple bats may need adjustment.
I only made my comment because someone who works in MLB told me in spring training about them and was ready to ban them right then and there, so I don't think it would take much to get them out of baseball.
Posted by Kevin K | August 20, 2008 8:15 AM
Posted on August 20, 2008 08:15