No wonder he got hit. Sounds like he probably crowded the plate a bit much too.

On a similar note, I actually knew the nephew of the only guy ever killed in s MLB game. That was Ray Chapman of the Indians, who was hit in the head, well before batting helmets. His nephew was a couple of years older than my dad, who would have been 97 this year. The guy's name was Moxley Chapman. He lived in an old run down house with junk cars and trucks every where. Being country people, others would go to see Moxley when they needed a part for a car or truck. My dad went to his house one Saturday morning and Moxley had a transmission up in bed working on it. His family had all moved out years before, and no wonder. I went to high school with his daughter. Just one of those weird connection stories.

From then until today, umpires ensure the game is played with a fresh or nearly fresh baseball.