Page "Hit by pitch" Paragraph 8

It is possible, however, to suffer serious injuries as a result of being hit by a pitch, even when wearing a helmet.

On August 18, 1967, Red Sox batter Tony Conigliaro was hit almost directly in the left eye by a fastball thrown by Jack Hamilton of the California Angels.

His cheekbone was shattered, he nearly lost the sight of the eye, was unable to play for over a year, and never regained his earlier batting ability.

( Batting helmets at that time were not required to have an " ear flap "; indeed, it was not until 2002 that all major league batters were required to wear helmets with side protection.

) On September 28, 1995, Kirby Puckett, of the Minnesota Twins, was struck in the cheek by a Dennis Martínez fastball, breaking his jaw and loosening two teeth.

It would be his last game ; during spring training the following year he developed glaucoma, which ended his career.

Most recently, Mike Piazza, then of the New York Mets, was hit in the head by a pitch from Julian Tavarez of the St. Louis Cardinals on September 10, 2005.

His helmet shattered, and he suffered a concussion.

Other relatively minor injuries that are possible include broken fingers or hands, broken feet, broken ribs, injuries to the knee, or groin injuries.