Blue Jays lefty J.A. Happ was hit on the left side of the head by a line drive off the bat of Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Desmond Jennings in the second inning Tuesday night. Though Happ didn't appear to lose consciousness, he was bleeding from the point of impact. After lying still (but not motionless, an important distinction) at the foot of the mound for roughly five minutes while being attended to by emergency medical technicians, he was strapped to an immobilizing backboard and wheeled away on a gurney.
Now we've had two such incidents in less than a calendar year. I think it's time to seriously consider some kind of protection for pitchers on the mound.
