I’m not sure what this guy was looking at, but he clearly did not see that ball headed directly for his head, nor did he hear the cameraman screaming “Heads Up” at the top of his lungs.  And needless to say, he paid dearly for it.

That’s gonna leave a mark!

Hat Tip – [Barstool Sports]

In the fourth inning of Saturday night’s game between the San Francisco Giants and the Arizona Diamondbacks, a foul ball off the bat of teammate Pat Burrell struck Giants’ outfielder Eugenio Velez in the head.  The shot did not knock Velez unconscious, but it did leave him in a daze, and after being worked on in the dugout for several minutes by the Giants’ training staff, he was eventually stretchered off and taken to a nearby hospital.

CT scans came back negative, but Velez remained in the hospital overnight for more tests.  Hopefully a bad headache is all that he will walk away with after this scary incident.

Hat Tip – [ESPN]

Total Pro Sports – It is undoubtedly the scariest moment in baseball, when a ball makes its way towards the head of a player.  We have seen the damage that such incidents can have when David Wright and Hiroki Juroda were both victims of head shots last month, and we have also seen the embarrassing precautions that may be taken on the road to recovery.

But it is not only those who find themselves in the middle of the action that are susceptible to taking a baseball in the head.  Even players and coaches in the dugout area are equally at risk.

During a little league game, the camera was focused on the on-deck batter as he warmed up.  After taking a couple of warm-up swings, he looked up to see the action at the plate, but was a second too late.  Before he could see it, the ball had struck him in the helmet, knocking him straight to the ground.

Being unaware of who the player is or the teams playing in the game we can not say for sure whether the victim was alright, but I think it’s fair to say he likely suffered a pretty bad concussion.

If you were ever looking for incentive to keeping your batting helmet on at all times, here it is.

Total Pro Sports – Whether you are standing in the batters box waiting on a 90 mph fastball, or the one delivering it, baseball can be quite the dangerous game.  It is often described as a non-contact sport, but don’t tell that too Mets third baseman David Wright or Dodgers pitcher Hiroki Kuroda.

It happens in all levels of the game, whether it is softball, or even little league with children, and just one month ago the Padres’ Edgar Gonzalez was also the victim of a head shot.  Now this past Saturday, Wright and Kuroda were involved in separate scary incidents which saw each of them take a ball of their noggin.

At home against the San Francisco Giants, Wright came to the plate in the bottom of the 4th inning.  Down 0-2 in the count to pitcher Matt Cain, Wright likely wasn’t expecting to see the next pitch come right for his head, but it did just that, sending his helmet flying and knocking him down and out.  Trainers attended to a dazed Wright for a few minutes before escorting him off the field and taking him to the hospital.

Following an exam by team doctors, television cameras showed Wright being taken by ambulance to a hospital midway through the sixth inning. While the CT scan came back negative, Wright was ruled to have a concussion and will stay in the hospital overnight. [MLB.com]

Wright has since been released from the hospital and was placed on the 15-day DL by the Mets.  There is currently no timetable for his return.  And in case you were wondering, no Mets player made their way towards the Giants clubhouse looking for revenge following the game, a la Prince Fielder.

Kuroda’s incident also occurred on Saturday, in the bottom of the sixth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Pitching to Rusty Ryal with no outs, Kuroda was unable to dodge a line drive which hit him in the side of the head.  He remained down for a while and was also taken to the hospital.

Trainer Stan Conte said Kuroda never lost consciousness and a CT scan was negative, revealing no fractures or bleeding. Kuroda will be kept overnight at a local hospital for observation with a likely concussion, although doctors were willing to release him, Conte said. [MLB.com]

Kuroda was released from the hospital Sunday morning, and despite feeling somewhat better, he is still expected to miss his next scheduled start this Thursday against the Chicago Cubs.

At the 2009 World Golf Championship – Bridgestone Invitational, fans lined the fairway, most of them watching Sergio Garcia‘s tee shot, but one man in particular made the sad mistake of taking his eye off the ball.  It is as if he hadn’t learned anything after seeing a spectator take an Anthony Kim ball in the ass one month earlier.  Unfortunately for him, this one wasn’t headed for his ass.  It went directly off his head.

The man would be okay, shaking it off and continuing his day.  He even received a signed golf ball from Garcia.  One thing I a still trying to figure out though is whether that noise made when it bounced off his head is real?  After the whole Tiger Woods fart-gate fiasco, I don’t know what to believe anymore.

Pitching for his son’s baseball team with a parent in the stands capturing it one camera, this poor dad must now be regretting all those extra lessons he gave his team on hitting.  One child seemingly caught on well, and during this game he took a nice swing at a pitch sending it back at his coach.  The liner was too hot to handle and before dad could get his glove up, he was already on the ground withering in pain.

This will no doubt go down as a little league baseball classic home video (assuming the dad survived the incident).  Maybe they should consider getting the pitchers to wear helmets.  One thing is for sure.  At next practice, this coach will likely be stressing the importance of defense.