Former Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect Matt Imhof announced his retirement after losing his right eye last June.
At just 23, former Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect Matt Imhof is retiring from baseball after losing his right eye in a freak training accident seven months ago, according to ESPN.com.
Imhof last played with the Clearwater Threshers of the Class A Florida State League. In late June while taking part in a normal stretching regimen at Brevard County Stadium, a piece of metal broke loose from the wall and struck Imhof in the face. The accident fractured Imhof’s nose, broke two orbital bones and severely injured his eye.
Imhof consulted with doctors at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, and after learning the eye was damaged beyond repair, decided to have the eye surgically removed and replaced with a prosthetic one.
He shared more details of the surgery in a post on Instagram.
In a post for ESPN, Imhof shared the tragic details of the incident:
"“It was the fifth repetition on the second set of my third exercise. I was facing the wall, about 25-30 feet away from it, with a band in each hand. I pulled them back hard above my head so that my right hand was above my right ear and my left hand was above my left ear. As I got to the top of my motion, I felt the tension break.It’s a surreal moment; the moment you realize you’re screwed and there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it.I saw a flash of silver and then felt the metal hook smash into my face. Everything went numb as I hit the ground screaming. I could feel the warmth of the blood running down my face and taste it in my mouth. I couldn’t breathe. I tried to move and look around, but my vision was blurry,” Imhof wrote."
Later in the post, Imhof shared his gratitude for his short career in baseball, and remains confident about his future plans post-baseball.
“I have never doubted my ability to be successful in life and I don’t plan on starting now; whether it’s a baseball field or a boardroom, I know my future is bright,” Imof wrote. “With that in mind, I would like to announce my retirement from the game of baseball.”
Imhof was the 47th pick in the 2014 MLB first-year player draft from Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. In four minor league seasons, the lefty posted a 3.69 ERA with a 13-10 record while showing a solid ability to rack up strikeouts. In 53 innings last season, Imhof posted a 3.91 ERA while striking out 48 batters.
Imhof said he’s currently finishing his degree in business at Cal Poly, and would like a career that allows him to make a positive impact on his community – whether on a baseball field or not.