Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images
Atlanta Braves infielder Whit Merrifield Jr. vented his frustration after being hit with a fastball in the back of his head in Tuesday’s 3-0 win by Colorado Rockies reliever Jeff Criswell.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Merrifield called it “bulls–t” that teams are bringing up pitchers from the minors whose command is erratic when the velocity across the league continues to go up:
“No repercussion on his part, and I mean, without being overly dramatic, that was my life on the line right there. So, I’m sick of it, it’s happening way too much. I watched Taylor Ward get hit in the face last year and have to get reconstructive surgery. Justin Turner got hit in the face last year. It’s happening at an exponential rate. Guys are getting hit in the hand, Mookie Betts broke a bone in his hand this year. It’s just ridiculous, and it has to be fixed. Or, God forbid, something terrible’s going to happen.
“If this hits me in a different spot, I mean … it’s just pathetic. It’s frankly pathetic, that some of the pitchers that we’re running out there don’t know where the ball’s going, at the major-league level. It’s got to be fixed. It just pisses me off to no end.”
This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.