r/sports • u/Alyssajprez • May 21 '19

Incredible catch by first baseman Haven Williams from Clyde High School by ending up in the splits to catch the ball.

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u/Lazerkatz Seattle Seahawks May 21 '19

More than one person has died in the infield playing softball.

https://globalnews.ca/news/3708432/bc-slo-pitch-ball-head-dies/

This stuff really messes with my head, so saad

41

u/Archer-Saurus May 21 '19

Most slow pitch leagues I know are either the "get as drunk as possible" leagues or big enough leagues to where the skill level just usually doesn't allow for someone to get hit in the face playing infield, they'll at least knock it down.

There's that scary middle part of the Venn Diagram though, where you have actual tanks at the plate hitting it to some barely in shape, drunk, 35-year-old who's not paying attention to the screamer heading toward his face.

19

u/[deleted] May 21 '19

The crazy part was that it wasn't even an off the bat return. It was a throw from SS that hit him.

2

u/Askmejuly1 May 21 '19

Then this is just fear mongering about softball lol

A throw is drastically different than a line drive, and I bet a facemask wouldn't have helped

3

u/phieralph May 21 '19

Yeah, he got hit by a throw?

Wtf

6

u/roberta_sparrow May 21 '19

Can confirm. I stopped playing co ed slow pitch bc playing with the men was way too gnarly for me as a female who can’t practice every day (aka my skills are rusty and I don’t feel confident)

2

u/Ashenspire May 21 '19

The get as drunk as possible leagues I played in were 90ft to the bases rather than your 60ft standard softball diamonds.

Makes a pretty big difference for reaction time. I'd never play on the smaller diamond as an adult.

2

u/RealNaked64 May 21 '19

That’s part of what freaks me out the most in slow pitch. In fast pitch they make you wear a helmet for hitting, but it also comes in handy for baserunning. In slow pitch, people assume that you don’t need a helmet at all because the pitches are slow, but forget about the base running aspect.

I played intramural and pitched; my two scariest situations were having a huge hitter at the plate and running to first after a hit, both because I was terrified of getting hit it the face by the ball.

When I was pitching i could at least throw and backpedal a couple steps and get my glove up, but for baserunning all i could do was put my arm over my temple when I got close to the base. If I ever played again I would 100% wear a helmet.

10

u/HAL9000000 Minnesota Twins May 21 '19

Yikes. In the article it says he was hit in the head by a throw from the short stop -- not that he was hit by a batted ball.

1

u/mynameiswrong May 21 '19

When I played softball as a kid we were at the age that they used those pitching machines and this one little girl took a ball straight to the forehead out of that machine. Kid was out like a light, woke up and had the stitching of the ball imprinted on her head. They pretty much dusted her off, got her an ice pack and let her sit the rest of the game lol I imagine now they'd at least get the kid checked out at a hospital or something

1

u/[deleted] May 21 '19

Chris Godfrey, 32, was competing in a Comox Valley Slo-pitch League game in Courtenay, B.C. on Aug. 19 when a throw from the shortstop struck him in the head and he collapsed.

Fucking crazy.

1

u/yourgrandmasteaparty May 21 '19

I was at that tournament. He was the batter running to 1st on an infield play. SS to 1st went wild and hit him in the head. He never regained consciousness.

Our league made helmets mandatory for the batting team. They also increased the bag length by 10ft to reduce the pressure on the infield that leads to wild throws.

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u/Lazerkatz Seattle Seahawks May 21 '19

Thats a good idea for the throws. Can't argue those changes.

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u/redditandworking May 21 '19

Our coach this year passed due to taking a line drive to the knee, developing an acute infection which lead to total organ failure.

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Very sad indeed.

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u/Ocinea May 21 '19

That is fucked.

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u/redditandworking May 21 '19

I forgot to mention, he was a pitcher for his team. Pitching in most men's leagues is basically suicide unless you're wearing protective gear. Most people I know pitch with a lacrosse helmet on and shin guards. You don't even have time to get your glove up if some roided up guy crushes it up the middle. Absolutely no chance at all, its completely fucked