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April 24, 2007
Mike Timlin saved his own life on Monday night. Toronto hitter Gregg Zaun smoked a line drive right back up the middle, that fortunately, Timlin was able to snare. If the Red Sox reliever wasn’t able to snare it, it possibly could have been a serious situation.
“Lucky stab,” he said after Monday’s game. “Either I caught it or it caught me . . . You just hope it doesn’t catch flesh. Usually the flesh is from the neck up.”
Timlin was able to joke about it, but the Red Sox have had some issue with their pitchers getting hit by line drives, some very serious.
Case in point: Bryce Florie suffered serious facial injuries when he was hit by a line drive off the bat of New York Yankees’ Ryan Thompson on Sept. 8, 2000 at Fenway Park. Florie was never the same after that. Most recently, Matt Clement was drilled off the side of the head on July 26, 2005 in Tampa Bay. The Devil Rays’ Carl Crawford hit the ball that seemed to have changed Clement’s career, too.
Former Red Sox farm hand Josh Hancock had his jaw shattered on June 3, 2002 while pitching for Double-A Trenton.
Fortunately, Timlin doesn’t have to put himself in that same category due to his quick reaction.
“I’m glad he got his glove up,” said Francona yesterday. “You certainly don’t want that run to score, but that can become very secondary in a hurry. His reaction was fantastic. Guys who end (their delivery) in an athletic position are going to have a chance, not only to defend themselves, but to make those plays. (Timlin) always lands with his feet square, and you would like to be able to teach that, but I don’t think you can.”
Posted by Joe McDonald 
at 5:32 PM | Permalink
