MLB: Ten Most Bizarre Injuries in Baseball History
By David Hill
2. Nolan Ryan gets bitten by a coyote
Nolan Ryan was truly a mystical being. He fired seven no hitters, holds the record for most strikeouts in MLB history, and was one of the most intimidating people in the history of the game. He was also involved in one of the more infamous moments in the game, when he put a charging Robin Ventura in a headlock and pounded him with uppercuts.
So, for a legendary tough guy like Ryan to make this list, the injury would have to be truly spectacular, and be something befitting his lifestyle. Well, as Ryan would spend his time driving around the countryside and working on his ranch, it had to be something interesting.
Well, in 1985, during one of those junkets, Ryan found two coyote pups. He decided to take them home, because why wouldn’t he want two coyotes to hang around with? Well, one of the pups bit his hand, leading Ryan to undergo numerous tests for rabies and to miss a start.
Needless to say, Ryan was not happy about missing that start, the rabies tests, nor having his coyote pups taken away. He held the Padres to six hits, walking two and striking out five in a 3-2 victory while he was waiting for those test results. San Diego players would have preferred he be kept away from the mound until they knew for sure that the Ryan Express was not rabid.
And yet, this was not the most bizarre injury in MLB history. For that honor, we go all the way back to 1923.
Next: He bit his what?