Watching a player get hit by a pitch can be a frightening experience. On Saturday, Milwaukee Brewers minor leaguer Julio Mendez was rushed to the hospital after a cardiac event when he was hit in the ribs.
There is a degree of bravery when it comes to standing in the batter’s box in a professional game. With pitchers throwing in the upper 90s, and occasionally going over 100 MPH, a batter has just a fraction of a second to determine where the pitch is going to be. Considering how little time a hitter has, it is amazing how few major injuries there have been in baseball history.
That tenuous balance between disaster and and the game we love tipped in the wrong direction on Saturday. Milwaukee Brewers minor leaguer Julio Mendez was hit in the ribs by a Austin Krzeminski in his game against the Arizona Angels. The third baseman immediate fell to the ground, where trainers rushed out to him. What unfolded next was a truly frightening scene, which ended up with Mendez being rushed to the hospital.
Here is an accurate description of what occurred. pic.twitter.com/1yLEIDuW5x
— Padres Truther (@padres_faithful) August 27, 2017
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The Brewers issued a statement about Mendez as well. He suffered what is being called a “cardiac event” after being hit by the pitch, and was rushed to a local hospital. He is still hospitalized in what is being called “critical but stable condition.”
Understandably, the game was called after the incident. As pointed out above, Mendez was given CPR on the field, and a defibrillator was used several times to keep his heart going. From the descriptions, Mendez’ survival was not a given at the time.
More details will be forthcoming from the Brewers organization, but the fact that he is stable bodes well. Hopefully, Mendez will make a complete recovery, and the 20 year old will be able to resume his minor league career.
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Julio Mendez was hit by a pitch on Saturday, leading to a frightening incident when he had a cardiac event. Hopefully, he will end up being fine, and be able to continue his career.