Foul tips are one of the perils of playing the catcher position in baseball, but one doesn't usually associate fire hazard with that risk. In the video below, a foul ball off the bat of the Chicago White Sox's A.J. Pierzynski hits the mask of Detroit Tigers' catcher Alex Avila so hard that sparks fly.
While foul balls hit into the stands provide fans with the chance to make some pretty epic catches, those suckers are traveling at high enough speeds to cause an injury.
During last night's game against the Orioles, Yankees third baseman Eric Chavez almost catches a foul ball that was headed for the crowd. When he can't make the grab, the ball ends up hitting a woman in the front row smack in the unprotected face.
In a Friday game at the Little League World Series, Huntington Beach, California pitcher Braydon Salzman was almost smacked in the forehead with a line-drive ball. It would've surely been a scary event (just ask this minor leaguer) -- were it not for the brim of his ball cap.
While the impact did knock Salzman to the ground, slow-motion replay shows his cap's bill took the brunt of the impact, leaving a noticeable dent.
This triple play, turned by minor league team the Nashville Sounds, is about the strangest instant inning-ender we've ever seen.
During the fourth inning of the Arizona Diamondbacks/New York Mets game on Sunday, Arizona pitcher Jason Marquis struck Mets catcher Josh Thole with a pitch. Upon impact, both players fell down into respective heaps.
Why? It turns out that in the prior inning, Marquis' leg had been hit by a ball off the bat of Mets centerfielder Angel Pagan. The force broke the fibula bone in the pitcher's leg, but he decided to keep playing.
Another game, another awesome foul ball story. Cubs fan Tony Russo has had the same first base-side upper deck seats in Wrigley Field since 1984. He had never caught a foul ball until earlier this week -- doing so while holding his 6-month-old son in his other arm. Aww!
But the best part? It was baby's first Cubs game. Double aww!
When four-year-old twin sisters Gracie and Ruby Weichman showed up at the ballpark on Monday night to watch their hometown Spokane Indians take on the visiting Yakima Bears, they had no idea that their father, Air Force Sargeant Chris Weichman, was planning a surprise homecoming during the game.
Call it the summer of foul ball drama: After incidents involving foul balls hitting mascots, hitting beer, making kids pout, making kids generous and making kids hysterical, two adults have actually been driven to dig through the garbage and fight over a ball hit into the stands at a Tampa Bay Devil Rays game.
Recently, a couple videos surfaced of kids at baseball games looking seriously unhappy after missing out on an errant ball.
In this video, Boston Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett makes sure a young fan in the crowd gets his prize (which fell slightly out of reach) by walking over and sticking it right in his hands. The kid's response? A bit dramatic, but still pretty cute.
Upon returning to the dugout from the field, Florida Marlin Logan Morrison was attacked by a large praying mantis, who had been perched on the dugout's rails.
His reaction? A bit extreme: Morrison's arms flailed all over the place in a desperate attempt to get the harmless bug away from his person. Needless to say, his teammates and the game's broadcasters found his insect-triggered spasms highly entertaining.