Pitchers don't often get hit by line drives and get it to the skull even less frequently. But it does happen, as much as 2 - 3 times per season. We note a number of well known current MLB pitchers that have been the victim of a shot to the head. Currently there are no MLB pitchers wearing protective headgear on the mound. There are a number of reasons for that and we discuss all that and more with former major league pitcher Willie Blair who was felled by a line drive off the bat of Julio Franco in 1997 and returned to pitch not only the same season, but for four more seasons. We are grateful for the introduction to Willie from Jason Berge - a friend of the podcast. Willie Blair a terrific guy and very open and honest about his own experience as well as what might be done to protect pitchers from a catastrophic injury or even worse. Thank you Willie!
If you are interested in reading there's also a related article posted on Gary Livacari's site https://www.baseballhistorycomesalive.com/protecting-pitchers-from-line-drives/
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