George Kirby, Seattle Mariners pitcher, had to leave the game against the Baltimore Orioles with a bloody face after taking a hard hit to his mouth after Ramon Urias‘ at-bat.
After the game, Kirby said he felt pretty good and was not in pain, despite having some swelling on the right side of his mouth.
“I didn’t even see it coming,” the American pitcher said. “I raised my hand to try to protect myself and I was able to cushion the blow a little bit. I’m glad it didn’t affect me in any of the dangerous areas of the head.”
Kirby was immediately attended to by the Mariners’ training staff after what trainer Dan Wilson called “a scary moment”.
The debate over mandatory helmets
The regular season in MLB has seen several similar incidents with severe head bruises caused by powerful hitting. From pitchers to umpires to players on the bench like superstar Othani, the high number of ‘balls’ has reopened the debate about the mandatory use of helmets.
According to current regulations, only batters, base runners and catchers are required to wear protective helmets, but not pitchers or other defensive players. Nor do umpires have to wear them, but first and third base coaches do.
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