As everybody knows, injuries are part of sports and baseball is no exception. Players can be hurt in a variety ways such as getting hit by a 90+ mile per hour pitch, breaking a bone or ligament from the unnatural and violent motion of pitching a baseball, getting hit in the face by a line drive or from a bad hop on a groundball or getting plowed through by a runner trying to score or break up a double play. And those are just a few examples. Fortunately, graphic and horrific injuries are fairly rare considering the amount of baseball games played but they have happened and today we'll be counting down the 10 most memorable, horrific and impactful injuries in MLB history - injuries that caused major changes to the game of baseball or threatened to end a player's career on the spot or sometimes, something far worse.
Before getting to the main list, which just consists of MLB moments, there were a couple of minor league injuries that definitely deserve a mention.
The Tyler Zombro Incident
It was one of the scariest moments in professional baseball history, and it happened out of nowhere in the 9th inning of a typical Triple-A minor league game in Durham, North Carolina. Tampa Bay Rays prospect Tyler Zombro was facing Brett Cumberland of the Norfolk Tides. Cumberland smashed a 104 mile per hour line drive off Zombro's head, causing Zombro to lose consciousness and then go into a seizure. He was quickly removed from the field on a stretcher and taken into surgery, where surgeons had to insert 16 titanium plates and 36 screws to repair a major skull fracture. He eventually regained consciousness and had to undergo physical, speech and occupational therapy. He made a miraculous recovery and returned to the mound, throwing a scoreless inning his return. Zombro retired after the 2024 season.
The Mike Coolbaugh Tragedy
Mike Coolbaugh played 17 years of pro baseball including parts of 2 seasons in the big leagues, hitting 260 total professional home runs. He retired after the 2006 season and became a coach in the Colorado Rockies organization. In July of 2007, as the first base coach for the Tulsa Drillers, tragedy struck when he was hit in the neck by a line drive, resulting in a severe brain hemorrhage that almost instantly killed him. Coolbaugh was pronounced dead less than an hour after being struck by the line drive. That offseason, it was determined that all base coaches in the Major and Minor Leagues would wear helmets.
Now, let's get into the main list.
#10 Buster Posey Season-Ending Break
In 2010, Buster Posey hit .305 with 18 bombs and caught every inning of the playoffs, helping to lead the San Francisco Giants to their first World Series since moving west from New York. But the next year, Posey's season was cut short on May 25th during a play at the plate with the Marlins Scott Cousins attempting to score. Posey fractured his fibula and tore multiple ligaments. He missed the remainder of the 2011 season before bouncing back in 2012, winning the MVP and Comeback Player of the Year Awards. The injury led MLB to reinterpret the rulebook and adopt Rule 7.13, the "Buster Posey Rule," stating a runner attempting to score may not deviate from his direct pathway to the plate in order initiate contact with the catcher.
#9 The Ray Fosse-Pete Rose Collision
This play didn't end Ray Fosse's career or even put him on the disabled list, but he was never really the same afterwards. Pete Rose had a chance to score the winning run in the 1970 All Star Game and was hustling towards home plate, with the only thing between him and victory being catcher Ray Fosse. You can guess what happened next. The collision separated Fosse's shoulder, although it was improperly diagnosed as the time and he didn't miss any games. But according to Fosse, the pain from the injury lingered throughout his career and life. There is debate to whether or not this injury ruined Fosse's career, but he was a top prospect who had 16 home runs with a .312 average at the All Star break in 1970 then hit just 2 the rest of the season. His power completely vanished and he never topped 12 home runs in a season for the rest of his career.
#8 Mickey Mantle vs. The Drain
A knee injury that likely had a major impact on history occured in the 5th inning of Game 2 of the 1951 World Series. Mickey Mantle was a red hot rookie who could do it all, including hit for tremendous power as a switch hitter and absolutely fly on the basepaths. He was playing right-field with veteran superstar Joe Dimaggio in center. Yankees manager Casey Stengel instructed Mantle to go for everything hard because Dimaggio's heel was hurting. The Giants Willie Mays hit a flyball to right-center field and the two fielders converged, with Mantle hustling hard for it. In the book The Last Boy, Mantle is quoted as saying “I was running as hard as I could. At that point in time, I could outrun anybody. I ran over to catch it as Casey had told me to. Just as I was getting ready to put my glove up, I heard him say, ‘I got it.’ Well shit, you don’t want to run into Joe DiMaggio in center field in Yankee Stadium, I slammed on my brakes.” When he did so, Mantle's spikes got caught in an exposed drain pipe and something in his right knee tore as he went down in tremendous pain. He suffered a severely torn ligament, one that would have required immediate surgery today, but back then, he was told to let it heal on its own. He eventually had multiple knee surgeries and had almost no cartiladge in his knees by the time his career was over. After the injury, Mantle played the rest of his career with a torn or semi-torn ACL and never played again without pain. He was still good enough to hit 536 home runs and become one of the greatest all of time. It's incredible to imagine that he would've been even better if not for that injury in the 1951 World Series.
#7 Tony Conigliaro Hit by Pitch
Tony Conigliaro played mostly for the Boston Red Sox. His pro career started in 1963 when he tore up the Minor Leagues, hitting .363 with 24 home runs. The next year, he was in the Red Sox lineup and hit .290 with 24 home runs followed by a league leading 32 bombs in 1965, becoming the youngest American League player to ever lead the league in home runs. The Red Sox had a superstar on their hands and he made the All Star Team in 1967. He hit his 100th home run at just 22 years old. Then, everything changed during a game on August 18th, 1967 against the California Angels. Facing pitcher Jack Hamilton. A pitch struck Conigliaro in the face, causing a linear fracture of his left cheekbone, a dislocated jaw and severe damage to his left retina. He was carried off the field on a stretcher and it was questionable if he would ever play again. Conigliaro’s eyesight was permanently damaged. He missed the next two seasons entirely. Then, in 1969, 2 and a half years after playing his last game, Congliario attempted a comeback. The Red Sox were happy to give him the opportunity, but didn’t know what to expect. Congliario’s comeback was astonishing as he hit 20 home runs with a .255 average driving 82 runs. The next year, he set a career high in home runs and RBIs with 36 and 116 respectively, while hitting .266. His amazing comeback inspired the Tony Congliaro Award, which has since been awarded to those who overcome adversity. Unfortunately, his eyesight worsened as he entered his thirties and Congliario was forced to retire, but the fact that he came back from such a horrific injury to play four more years, including a career year is truly inspirational.
#6 Tony Saunders Breaks Arm
Pitcher Tony Saunders was originally signed as an undrafted free agent in 1992 by the expansion Florida Marlins, and he dominated the minor leagues as a starter, although he had to miss time in 1994 and 1995 due to elbow reconstruction surgery. He continued to pitch well after the surgery and
earned a call-up to the big leagues in 1997 when he became a part of the Marlins rotation. He was picked up by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in their innagural draft for the 1998 season. He had a rough season but was 9th in the league in strikeouts and still had a bright career ahead. That is, until one fateful game in 1999 when Saunders delivered a 3-2 pitch to Juan Gonzalez and his elbow snapped loudly enough for the entire stadium to hear it. He collapsed to the ground, screaming in agony as teammates rushed to his side. He had to be carted off the field, in too much pain to even walk. It was one of the most horrific moments in MLB history and he was diagnosed with a humerus fracture and torn ligament, ending his season. As it turned out, it ended his MLB career. Saunders bravely attempted a comeback, but during a rehab game in the minors, the humerus snapped again, leading to his retirement. He tried to comeback once again in 2005 and pitched in a Spring Training game with the Cardinals and in a few independent league games with the Mesa Miners, but never returned to the big leagues.
#5 Adam Greenberg Instant Career-Ender
In 2002, Adam Greenberg was drafted by the Chicago Cubs and worked his way through the minor leagues, getting promoted in 2005. It looked like he had a bright future as a big leaguer – that is, until the first pitch he ever saw in the Majors. Greenberg never got the chance to prove whether or not he could stick in Major League Baseball as that 92 mile per hour pitch from Valerio de los Santos hit Greenberg in the back of the head. He fell to the ground in pain, and had the sensation that his head had been split open, with thoughts of just trying to stay concious. He suffered a skull fracture and severe concussion, spending the rest of the season the D.L. He had vertigo symptoms for years including headaches, nausea, double vision and dizziness.
The symptoms that took more than two years to clear up. Then a string of other ailments thwarted any comeback bids. He returned to the minor leagues in 2006 but his numbers fell and after stints in the Dodgers, Angels and Royals minor league systems, he ended up in the independent leagues. After 4 years with the Bridgeport Bluefish, it was becoming clear that Greenberg would never get back to the big leagues.
That is, until the Miami Marlins, the team Greenberg was facing when he was hit in the head, signed him to a one-day contract in order to give him a chance to have a proper MLB at bat, which he had earned way back in 2005 but never got. It was a great gesture by the Marlins, although I never understood why they chose to give him the at bat against the practically unhittable R.A. Dickey, who was baffling even the greatest MLB hitters at that time. Other than that one weird detail, it was awesome to see Greenberg get a real MLB at bat.
Unfortunately, he struck out 3 pitches, and R.A. Dickey won the Cy Award and led the league in strikeouts. But at least Greenberg got his official MLB at bat.
#4 Juan Encarnacion Career Ending Foul Ball
2-time World Series champion and 11-year veteran Juan Encarnacion's career ended without notice in July of 2007 while he was waiting to bat in the on-deck circle. Teammate Aaron Miles hit an absolute rocket towards Encarnaction, who had his eyes elsewhere at that moment. The baseball smashed his left eye and he fell to to the ground, remaining still for several minutes as the crowd went silent. He eventually got up and waved a stretcher away, leaving the field with the assistance of Jim Edmonds. The Cardinals rallied that inning and won the game, making Tony La Russa the winningest manager in Cardinals history, but he was not in the mood to celebrate after the game after what had happened. The line drive caused a fractured bone and the immediate end to Encarnacion's 2007 season. As it turned out, it was the end of his career as his eyesight never fully recovered and he never played professional baseball again.
#3 Dave Dravecky Breaks Arm
Dave Dravecky was a solid left-handed arm in the San Diego Padres rotation for several years in 80’s, making an All Star team in 1983 and maintaining an ERA around 3 every season. On July 4th, 1987, the San Francisco Giants traded for him, along with Craig Lefferts and Kevin Mitchell, for Mark Grant, Mark Davis and Chris Brown. He pitched well for the Giants, including a shutout performance in the 1987 playoffs against St. Louis. In 1988, he was pitching well with a 3.16 ERA after 7 starts when a cancerous tumor was found in his pitching arm. It was a rare and aggressive tumor known as a desmoid tumor. Unfortunately, it was positioned on his left deltoid muscle, a muscle that is needed by pitchers to even pitch. Doctors would have to remove the tumor and surrounding muscle, a huge portion of his arm, in order to save his life. The surgery was performed in October of 1988 and half of the deltoid muscle was removed. The humerus bone was frozen as well in order to kill all of the cancerous cells. Doctors advised him that he would never pitch again but Dravecky had other plans. His rehab was astonishingly fast, going from not being able to move his arm at all, to lifting 1 lb. Dumbbells, to actually pitching all in a matter of months and by 1989 Dravecky already felt ready to pitch again, although doctors urged him to wait until at least 1990. They feared that the frozen humerus bone could snap if stressed too early. But Dravecky was determined to return that year and he did, returning to the minors in 1989 on rehab assignment, where he threw 3 complete games. Imagine a pitcher being allowed to complete any games so early in their comeback attempt in today's game. But in 1989, it happened – he threw three complete games and a shutout, convincing the Giants he was ready for his official comeback game. It occurred on August 10th, 1989, in an amazing day at Candlestick Park. Dravecky pitched 8 innings, defeating the Reds 4-3, despite the doctor’s prediction that he would lose 95% of the use of his left arm. Unfortunately, it was short-lived as during his next start in Montreal, he felt a strange tingling in his arm, continued to pitch anyway and then the unthinkable happened and the entire stadium heard the snap as Dravecky, as doctors feared, broke his arm on a pitch. He crumbled to the ground in pain in one of the scariest and horrific injuries in MLB history. Later, the cancer returned with a vengeance and he had to have his arm amputated. He never threw another MLB pitch after that injury. Dave Dravecky continues to travel the country and give motivational speeches today.
#2 Doc Powers Wall Collision
This is an injury that may or may not have immediately led to the death of a player, but my research indicates that an on-field injury may have never happened at all, and if it did, probably just accelerated an already existing medical condition. Mike "Doc" Powers started his professional career way back in 1898 with the Louisville Colonels after playing college ball at Holy Cross and Notre Dame. He ended up playing most of his career with the Philadelphia Athletics as a backup catcher and first baseman and was also a physician when not playing baseball, hence the nickname. On Opening Day in 1909, he was beginning his 11th MLB season, in the starting lineup for the Athletics. According to many online sources including wikipedia, during the first play of the game, he crashed into a wall at full speed chasing a foul pop fly. Powers stayed in the game and even got a base hit. But none of the medical reports or newspaper articles I could find from the time period mention an on-field injury as part of what caused his condition. What articles of the time do say is that in the 7th inning of the game he became noticeably ill, some mentioning it occurred after eating a ham sandwich. Powers insisted on finishing the game and did so, going 1 for 4, and then was taken immediately to the hospital. Physicians determined he was suffering from a condition described as "strangulation of the intestines" or "intussusception", a life-threatening condition that occurs when part of the intestine folds into the next section, blocking the flow of food and fluids. This is not a condition that would be caused by a collision as the intestines removed were decaying due to lack of blood supply, indicating he had been suffering from this condition for a substantial period of time. Powers underwent immediate emergency surgery and more than a foot of gangrenous intestines had to be removed. He rallied for a time and showed some improvement, but the problems returned and after two additional surgeries, he passed away, 2 weeks after the game. Although it is written all over the internet that Powers experienced an on-field injury that led to his death, long articles written after his death at the time never mention any on-field injury or collision nor do articles about the actual game. I researched this mystery for hours and found one 2014 internet piece that questioned the on-field injury theory and it agrees that there is no evidence an on-field injury actually led to his death and he was likely already suffering from the condition before the game even started. I will link that website in the description. I will still put this possible injury at #2 as, if there was an on-field injury, it was evidently bad enough to send Powers to the hospital, where he eventually lost his life - and if there wasn't an on-field injury, he still got sick in the middle of the game he was playing in and died just 2 weeks later. If any one does have real sources from the time period mentioning an on-field collision, please let me know so I can update this story, but I looked up hundreds of articles from the day after the game and beyond, none mentioning any on-field injury. Even modern newspaper articles as recent as 2009 discussing the mystery make no mention of an on-field injury. It's almost as if some one wrote it on Wikipedia one day and then the internet took it as fact and ran with it.
#1 Ray Chapman Hit In The Head
But coming in at #1 is a story that can be confirmed as the only definite on-field injury that led to the death of an MLB player. It happened to lifelong Cleveland player Ray Chapman, who was playing in his 9th season. He had over 1,000 career hits and had stolen 238 bases. Chapman set a single-season MLB record with 67 sacrifice hits in 1917, a record that stands today. On August 16th, 1920, he was taking an at bat at the Polo Grounds, facing Yankees pitcher Carl Mays. Mays was known as a "bean ball" pitcher who liked to throw inside. Back during this time, the balls were commonly dirtied with soil or tobacco juice and not typically thrown out of a game until they were hit in the stands or out of the ballpark, and even then sometimes the ball would be retrieved and put back in the game. Hitters also did not wear helmets. This led to a tragic situation in which Chapman did not pick up the high and in pitch from Mays and was hit so hard in the head, Mays thought it hit the end of Chapman's bat. He fielded the ball and threw to first. Meanwhile, Chapman crumpled to the ground. The crowd went silent as medical personal rushed to assist the batter. Chapman briefly regained concinousness and made it to his feet but collapsed before reaching the clubhouse. Chapman's skull was broken and doctors operated on him throughout the night. He initially survived the surgery but then passed away later in the morning. At first, much outrage was placed towards Carl Mays with demands that he be banned, but he insisted the ball was wet and simply got away from him, also saying "It is the most regrettable incident of my baseball career; I would give anything if I could undo what has happened." He went into seclusion for about 10 days before rejoining his team. The death of Ray Chapman had an enormous impact on the future of the game, as spitballs were banned along with scuffing or altering the baseball in any way. Baseballs hit out of play were not used again and the live ball era was introduced. Helmets eventually became the norm and are now required to be worn by all batters and baserunners. Fortunately, no other player has been killed from an on-field injury since Ray Chapman.