>>It is tragic for the boy that got hit. I’m always a little scared that my kid will hit a pitcher.<<
In little league I was the “home run hitter” on whatever team I played on. For me it was easy. I could almost place where I wanted the ball to go. Then I got to Jr. High, and the pitchers could actually throw the ball. I was done. I was too afraid of being hit.
From then on it was softball for me.
Interestingly, my brother is 55 and STILL pitches in a BASEBALL league.
My son already plays above his age group because he is big for his age (5’9” and 165lbs at age 12), and he has hit a few over the fence, using a cheapy alloy bat, not even a composite. If he line-drives the ball, there is very little time to react.
Our team’s pitcher got hit last season, also from a big kid hitting a line drive. Broken finger and a cut to the face...
In cricket they do specific drills with the bowler (the equivalent of baseball’s pitcher) to not get hit, and to take care of any line-drive opportunities that come their way. Maybe pitching coaches should start doing that as part of their pitching training.