Tuesday night’s game between the Atlanta Braves and Colorado Rockies served as a reminder that baseball certainly isn’t a sport without its dangers.
Braves veteran infielder Whit Merrifield spoke out, venting his frustrations following an early exit from the game after he was hit in the back of the head by a pitch from Rockies rookie hurler Jeff Criswell.
“Where the game’s at right now, it’s just ridiculous,” Merrifield said post-game. “We lost [Austin] Riley, we almost lost [Michael Harris II], we almost lost [Travis] D’Arnaud in the span of two or three weeks. The way pitchers are throwing now, there’s no remorse or regard for throwing up and in.
“The guys are throwing as hard as they can, they don’t care where the ball goes. It’s just [expletive].”
The former Blue Jay was struck by a 94.5 m.p.h. fastball that rode way up and nailed him at the top of his neck, leaving a welt behind his ear.
He managed to get up and leave the game under his own weight but shouted some choice words at the Rockies pitcher as he was looked at by trainers and while he walked off the field.
Though he passed concussion protocol after the game and was set to undergo a CT scan, to him, what happened on Tuesday was more emblematic of a league-wide phenomenon rather than a one-off, scary instance.
“You can’t hit a guy back anymore. There’s no fear that ‘Oh if I hit this guy, our guy is gonna get hit.’ That’s not in the game anymore. Pitchers don’t have to hit anymore so they don’t have to stand in the box and teams are bringing pitchers up that don’t know where the ball is going.
“It’s driving me nuts. I hate where the game is at right now.”
Merrifield is a member of the MLB Competition Committee and said that they’d be having a meeting on Wednesday to discuss rule changes geared toward preventing instances like this from occurring.
The 35-year-old joined the Braves earlier this summer as a free agent after being released by the Phillies. In the time that he’s been with the team, the Braves lost Autin Riley to a broken hand on Aug. 18, Travis D’Arnaud to a forearm contusion and nearly lost Michael Harris II to a hand injury. All of these injuries occurred due to hit-by-pitches.
He also pointed out major injuries to players like Mookie Betts, Taylor Ward and Justin Turner.
“Without being overly dramatic, that was my life on the line right there,” Merrifield said. “I’m sick of it, it’s happening way too much … It’s just ridiculous, it has to be fixed. Or, God forbid, something terrible’s going to happen.”
