Willy Adames struck by foul ball, hospitalized

Willy Adames struck by foul ball, hospitalized

Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames was hospitalized Friday night after being hit by a foul ball in the dugout during a game against the San Francisco Giants.

Video of the Willy Adames incident. pic.twitter.com/fWmswNIogo

— La Russa Burner (@BurnerDeLaRussa) May 27, 2023

Adames, 27, was leaning over the dugout when Brewers teammate Brian Anderson lined a foul ball directly into the dugout. The ball struck Adames in the head. He fell, and immediately received medical attention from the Brewers training staff. The game stopped to ensure his safety. Adames walked to the clubhouse under his own power.

“He was taken to the hospital. He was alert, responsive the whole time,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said after the team’s 15-1 loss to the Giants. “No fractures. They will keep him at the hospital tonight for monitoring purposes, anticipate him being released tomorrow morning.”

Counsell went on to say that Adames will hit the Concussion IL, which is a seven-day stint. Adames is very lucky that the ball didn’t fracture his skull, like what happened to Rockies pitcher Ryan Feltner.

Anderson, the player who hit the ball, was very shaken up by the incident. While it was obviously not his fault, he assumed some of the blame. Anderson removed himself from the game after the incident.

Foul Ball Injuries

In any scenario, MLB might have a problem with foul ball injuries. It is more common for someone to be injured by a foul ball in the stands rather than in the dugout. Studies in the past have shown that there are about 100 fan injuries per season because of foul balls in the past 10 seasons.

MLB has tried extensively to make the game safer for spectators as far as foul balls are concerned. Of course, everyone knows about the netting rule that was instituted in 2020, stating that each MLB park is required to have a massive net reaching down each foul line. MLB actually did a pretty good job with that rule, as the net doesn’t seem to impede the spectator’s view of the game at all while keeping fans more safe.

Are the dugouts the next part of baseball to get some sort of netting or protection? Should there have been some sort of safety for dugouts already? Let us know in the comments below!

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