Didi Gregorius gets hit in a sensitive spot while trying to get the force out
The first rule of baseball should be “always wear a cup.” Taking a hit to the groin is never enjoyable, and taking that risk on a field where a small, hard ball is flying around at crazy speeds is insane.
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It’s not a rule, of course, and some players are willing to take that chance. New York Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius became the latest player to experience the pain of violating rule No. 1.
Based on Gregorius’ reaction, we’re going to guess taking that hit wasn’t too enjoyable.
It all started with a routine ground ball to second base. With Elvis Andrus on first, Gregorius ran over to cover second for the force out. That’s when disaster struck.
We’ve heard of players going into their slides with their spikes up, but Andrus opted for the rare “arms up” technique. It was effective. The ball sailed over Gregorius’ head, and Andrus was safe despite over-sliding the bag initially.
According to MLB’s Gameday, there was actually a brief injury delay following the play. Gregorius was able to remain in the game, however.
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The throw probably wasn’t good enough to get Andrus anyway, so it’s not like Gregorius’ decision not to wear a cup really had an impact on the play. His night, however, was probably ruined, at least for a brief period of time.
Wear a cup out there, kids. Always wear a cup.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
