MLB: Ten Most Bizarre Injuries in Baseball History
By David Hill
6. John Smoltz irons himself
There are certain concepts that are considered to be obvious. Do not play in traffic. Do not eat rat poison. And do not iron a shirt while wearing it. Well, someone forgot to teach Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz that last lesson.
At least, that is according to the legend. Smoltz had realized a shirt he was wearing was wrinkled, and he needed to iron it. However, he decided against taking his shirt off, and ironed it while wearing the offending garment, burning his chest in the process.
Smoltz, meanwhile, disputes that story. He claims to have simply been using a portable steamer, and when he set it down, some water popped out and left a penny sized burn on his chest. His teammates thought that the mark was a sign of an amorous encounter, and instead of taking the less embarrassing story, decided that it was better to tell the truth.
In doing so, he has become somewhat legendary in the annuls of bizarre injuries. Whenever someone does something stupid, missing time due to an incident that defies logic, Smoltz’ unfortunate ironing incident is brought up, much to his dismay.
The legend says one thing, and Smoltz himself claims something different. In reality, it is difficult to know what the truth actually is.
Next: A surprisingly rare incident