Cubs' Colvin impaled by broken bat

Fox Sports ^ | September 20, 2010 | AP

[Immerito]

MIAMI (AP)

Cubs rookie Tyler Colvin was hospitalized Sunday after his chest was punctured by part of a shattered bat.

Colvin was standing on third base in the second inning of Chicago's 13-3 victory at Florida when he was struck by a sliver of Welington Castillo's maple bat. Castillo doubled on the play and Colvin scored, but was replaced in the field in the bottom half.

[cripplecreek]

Flak jackets for baseball players....

[theDentist]

Rabies shots too!

[Dr. Sivana]

I thought MLB bats were typically ash, not maple.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Although its leaf adorns my flag, I don’t think bats should be made of maple wood.

[handmade]

Just Wow! Standing on third base and gets nailed?

[cweese]

At least Corky (Sosa) had the courtesy to line his bats with cork.

[SnakeDoctor]

Ash bats are a bit older-school. Many ballplayers use maple bats these days. There is actually a movement to have them banned, though, because they’re harder and they splinter along the grain creating sharp projectiles.

SnakeDoc

[Alberta's Child]

I’m surprised more infielders and baserunners don’t get hit by broken bats these days, considering how close they are to home plate and how much stronger hitters are today compared to previous decades.

[fungoking]

Ash generally cracks, Maple seems to shatter more often. some talk of banning maple.

[Candor7]

Wood shrapnel is horribly infectious, very easy for blood poisoning to set in.You can read about it in stories of men on tall ships who had to suffer it on their wooden ships during cannonades one hundred and fifty years ago.

Hope the dude is OK,and that they get it all out and cleaned up.

[Alberta's Child]

I think it was Steve Yeager who was struck by a bat years ago and had his neck pierced while he was in the on-deck circle. As a result of that incident he helped develop the neck protector that is now standard equipment for catchers.

[Vigilanteman]

Young Mr. Colvin sounds like a class act by the statement which he just released. Twenty homeruns in a rookie season is not a shabby start. I wish him a speedy recovery and a banner year in 2011!

[Buckeye Battle Cry]

They are, but the success Barry Bonds had with maple bats (which are a harder wood than ash) has created a popularity with maple over the last decade.

[Dr. Sivana]

They are, but the success Barry Bonds had with maple bats (which are a harder wood than ash) has created a popularity with maple over the last decade.

I missed all that. I tuned out of MLB when they introduced inter-league play. It is the MLB equivalent of living in sin.

[sbMKE]

Green Bay Packers great Jerry Kramer almost died from wood splinters - http://books.google.com/books?id=SD3G3dyx2ZoC&pg=PA57&lpg=PA57&dq=jerry+kramer+wood+splinters&source=bl&ots=AmpnR4YcHi&sig=7CjYrgCKF1MJIknkugeO2nQD65A&hl=en&ei=9IaXTKieGISosQOynujACg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBYQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false

[lacrew]

Bush’s fault?

[Buckeye Battle Cry]

I agree. I’m convinced that Bud Selig is the devil.

[SeeRushToldU_So]

Colvin is a local boy. He went to same the high school as I. My wife and sister in law went to school with his mother.
That being said, this is a big story locally.
I wish him well.

[COBOL2Java]

Welington Castillo's bat shatters and hits teammate Tyler Colvin in the chest.