Editor’s Note: This story has been updated since its original publication, as MLB players continue to find strange ways to get hurt during spring training.
There is something about spring training, and more and more offspring in general, which brings out the odd accidents and injuries in baseball. Twins Byron Buxton cracked a tooth, um, Cutting into a steak, Is just the latest example.
Type ‘weird spring training injury “into Ol’ Google Machine and you get a glimpse of the articles. But to save you from trouble, here’s a quick rundown of some really weird people.
In 2018, Tim Tebow sprained an ankle following an unfortunate run-in with Sprinkler. But Tebow was hardly a trendsetter in that regard.
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Back in 2015, Blue Jays outfielder Michael Saunders was tripping on a sprinkler before he calmed down. But his injury was more serious than Tejo’s – he Tear knee ligament.
Players do not have to watch out for inanimate objects to avoid injury. Just ask Derek Holland when he was hurt Stuck on a dog in 2014.
A year before the fall of Holland, Michael Taylor of the A won the retroactive Hold My Bear Award when he tried to bite his finger Gum away.
And don’t forget that David Price had hurt his neck when race pitcher Tread his head very hard in 2012.
But by the time they all happened, Hunter Pence – already a beloved weirdo – was a veteran of an all-time weird injury. See, back in 2008, when he was cut, he cut everything Walked into a glass door
.
Then there was the time when the Cubs Kerry Wood got hurt when he Fell out of a hot tub In 2007, and the time when Steve Sparks of Brewers dislocated the shoulder while trying Rip a phone book in half In 1994.
And then there is the urban legend of a young John Smoltz, when he tried to iron a shirt while wearing it. But, to be fair, Smoltz says it’s not really what happened.
Even before players arrive at spring training, the offseason puts people in a position to injure themselves in other ways. During 2017–18, Royals manager Ned Yost almost died after falling while repairing a tree stand used for hunting. And a year before that, Royals pitcher Brian Flynn missed eight weeks after falling from the roof of a barn. (Note: If you are associated with the Royals, please avoid high places.)
Spring training is often sluggish because the games are meaningless and the stats don’t count, so the Freak Injury is definitely a worthy way to pass the time.
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