St. Louis Cardinals’ Yadier Molina can tell you why to turn away from a wild pitch thrown below the knees or at your head! After all, he made that mistake yesterday.

Photo by the Associated Press

Yadier Molina took a shot in the upper chest Tuesday from Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Hayden Penn during the first inning of a spring training baseball game in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. So, what should he have done?

To protect the vital parts of his body - in this case - his beaner, Molina should have turned away from the ball. Many times I’ve seen young baseball players jump out of the way of a pitch coming at them, only to see the curve ball make a sharp cut and cross over the plate for a strike. For the benefit of the team, players need to learn how to get hit by a pitch properly.

The phrase “Take one for the team” is true! Yup, it will hurt. But, every baserunner is a potential run. If the ball is coming at you between your shoulders and knees, stay in the batters’ box, and take it like a man! Your teammates will appreciate your sacrifice, and your mother will kiss your boo-boo. If you’re really lucky, the bruise may have the ball threads imprinted in your skin. That’s really cool!

On the flip side, don’t turn in to the ball (toward the pitcher). And if the ball’s target is your lower legs or head, jump back out of the way. Those are the areas of the body that can be injured no matter which side is hit.

-Bob Hammerstrom

bhammerstrom@nashuatelegraph.com

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