MLB: Ten Most Bizarre Injuries in Baseball History
By David Hill
1. Clarence Blethen bites a chunk out of his butt
Back in 1923, dental hygiene was not quite what it is today. While toothbrushes and toothpaste existed, the standards were not the same as they are these days. As such, it was not uncommon for younger people to wear dentures, with their teeth having rotted or fallen out.
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Such was the case with 30 year old rookie Clarence Blethen. He would remove his dentures when on the mound, as he felt that he looked meaner without his teeth in. Or, he made people think about their grandfather. Considering he had a career 7.32 ERA and a 2.186 WHiP during his seven major league appearances, that intimidation factor did not work.
However, if not for his false teeth, Blethen would likely be completely forgotten about in the annuls of the game. See, needing a place to put those dentures when playing, he would keep them in his back pocket. This would prove to be a mistake when, during a game in 1923, Blethen slid hard into second base after a double, forgetting about those teeth.
Well, they did not forget about him. The dentures closed, taking a bloody chunk out of his bottom. He began bleeding profusely, and needed to be pulled from the game due to the damage that his teeth caused. He certainly remembered to put those teeth back in his mouth when batting after that incident.
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Clarence Blethen only pitched for parts of two seasons in the Majors, but he certainly left a mark on the game. And a denture sized mark on his bottom.