A freak accident at Sun Life Stadium Sunday has put the Chicago Cubs' rookie outfielder Tyler Colvin in the hospital with a season-ending injury. Colvin was on third base during the second inning when teammate Wellington Castro's maple bat broke and sent a large shard into Colvin's chest. Yeah, and you thought baseball was the least dangerous of the major professional sports.
Castro's double to left field was powerful enough to bust the maple bat. Colvin, paying more attention to the ball than the bat, began running the bases when he was hit with the shard. Amazingly Colvin still managed to score, and tried to shake the injury off at first.
There was little external bleeding.
Still, Colvin was transported to Ryder Trauma Center while doctors try to prevent the possibility of a collapsed lung, according to MLB.com.
"Doctors are using a pneumothorax procedure to prevent a collapsed lung, since air entered Colvin's chest wall after a broken bat punctured his chest on the left side near his collarbone," reports the site.
Colvin, a promising rookie, is out for the rest of the season.
The incident raises concerns over the safety of maple bats. While few incidents have ended so badly, that type of bat has a tendency to shatter and has been known to injure players, coaches and umpires.
Cubs fans do have something to cheer about though. The team absolutely trounced the Marlins 13 to 3.
[MLB: Colvin in hospital after bat punctures chest]