Hunter Pence attempts to ease mind of pitcher who broke his arm
As we learned on Thursday, the San Francisco Giants will be without right fielder Hunter Pence for 6-8 weeks after he suffered a broken left forearm in a game against the Chicago Cubs. Pence was hit by a pitch from 23-year-old right-hander Corey Black, and as a result will miss at least the first two weeks of the regular season, and likely more with his spring training now completely wiped out.
Even if Pence misses the minimum amount of time, it will be a difficult blow for a Giants offense that’s already trying to replace Pablo Sandoval. The circumstances will be difficult for Pence to personally overcome both from a physical and mental standpoint, simply because he’s not used to being injured or missing games. In fact, he hasn’t missed a regular season game since being traded to San Francisco on July 31, 2012.
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But we were quickly reminded that such an injury doesn’t just impact the person who’s physically hurt, it also impacts the person who unintentionally inflicted the damage, and it was clear on Thursday night that Pence’s injury was still weighing heavily on Corey Black’s mind.
Enough, in fact, that Black reached out on Twitter to express his remorse.
A classy gesture from a young player who was only hoping to impress manager Joe Maddon and just had one get away. Unfortunately, when emotions are running high in this social media driven world, people often lose their common sense and overlook logic to go on the attack. Black was subjected to plenty of that, but it turns out the most understanding and forgiving person out there just happened to be Hunter Pence.
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Here’s how the eight-year veteran responded.
You have to admire that sportsmanship, though it really shouldn’t come as any surprise from Hunter Pence. He’s never come across as someone with a large ego or sense of entitlement. He just has a passion for the game and understanding that bad things can happen when you stand 60-feet, six-inches from someone throwing a baseball.
There was clearly no intent, and though Pence’s career will be temporarily put on hold, there’s no reason for this to derail Black’s attempts to live his dreams. Here’s hoping Black realizes that, takes Pence’s message to heart, and doesn’t slow down.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
