Column: Can a hard-hit baseball crush your skull (revisited)? - The Straight Dope
Cecil talked extensively on injuries and probability, but surprisingly failed to answer the salient question, can a baseball crush a skull?
I would think no. It might give someone a concussion, but I don’t think it’s going to fracture the cranium.
There was also this:
25 broken bats per game?! Seriously? That’s major fucked up.
I’m kind of surprised Cecil didn’t mention the sad case of Mike Coolbaugh, who was killed by a batted ball while coaching first base for the Tulsa Drillers in 2007.
While it didn’t crush his skull, this is a good example of the damage a fast-moving baseball can do.
I find it easy to believe that a baseball could at least fracture a skull, though there may be some debate over the definition of “crush.” Maybe some of our more science-minded Dopers will come along with some physics.
Another recent serious injury: Altlanta Braves minor league manager Luis Salazar was seriously hurt in 2011 spring training by a ball off the bat of all-star Brian McCann. They initially thought he was going to die but “only” lost an eye. I don’t think “crush” is all that inaccurate of a term to use for something like this.
It’s the easily fractured bats used today that are really scary.
As tragic as that situation is, Salazar received multiple facial fractures, but sustained no damage to the brain. Despite not only the impact to the face from the baseball, but smacking the back of his head on the concrete floor of the dugout.
That does not, to me, fit the concept of crushing his skull.
In 21st century North American Major League baseball? Where did that stat come from? I’ve searched for it, not yet successfully, on mlb.com. There may many more broken bats than shattered bats. For shattered bats…
Per the August 9, 2010, article “Fan sues over broken bat” on http://sports.espn.go.com, here:
See also “OnWisconsin” magazine, http://onwisconsin.uwalumni.com, here, from fall 2011:
And, not to beef, “Welington” has only one “l” per http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=456078#gameType=%27R%27. “Let’s play two!” said Ernie Banks, not a catcher.
on august 7th 1982 a foul ball from dave stapleton hit jonathan keane (age 4). it fractured the left side of his skull.
jim rice raced over grabbed jonathan, and rushed him into the clubhouse. jonathan was zipped to hospital, and operated on immediatly. he was in hospital for 5 days.
jonathan was able to throw out the first pitch to open the 1983 season.
I’m surprised that Cecil didn’t mentionRay Chapman, who was killed by a pitched ball.
Given that the speed of the ball coming off the bat can be faster than the speed of a pitched ball, I have no doubt that a batted ball can kill.
But 25 broken bats per game? I ask the Cecil show his work.
Oh dear…Cecil’s original draft read “per game day”, and somehow in the editing process the “day” was dropped. The citation is from page 523 of Westover, Matthew A. “The Breaking Point: Examining the Potential Liability of Maple Baseball Bat Manufacturers for Injuries Caused by Broken Maple Baseball Bats” Penn State Law Review 115.2 (2010): 517-537.
It will be fixed very shortly.
Thank you Una. As for the breaks, there is a cricket-bat coating called “Extratec” (see for example http://www.cricketcentre.com.au/site/pages/BatInfo.php or http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2010/9/20/1699415/cubs-tyler-colvin-maple-bat) to keep the bats from splintering or breaking.
High schooler just killed in a game (which I’d never heard of before) similar to softball: Taylor Dorman Dies When Ball Hits Him In Chest In PE Class On 16th Birthday | HuffPost Latest News
He did not die from blunt trauma; this is likely that rare but sadly not unheard of condition in which a sharp impact to the chest at precisely the wrong moment can interrupt the heart rhythm and result in death. A 20-minute delay strikes me as unusual, but I’d bet money that’s what this is. It happens most often to lacrosse players, I believe.
Powers &8^]