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I've never played baseball in an official capacity (though I was on a kickball team!). But by way of osmosis I've learned a couple things about how to excel in the game. First, keep your eye on the ball. Second, don't try to catch it with your face.
Well, it looks like one Dodger fan needs to work on her mechanics. Yasiel Puig, who's working through a dispiriting summer, took the field for Monday's 8-2 thrashing of the Yankees. He caught the final out in that game and, being in a magnanimous mood, tossed the ball to a crowd of Dodger fans.
As reported by NY Daily News, that ball went straight toward 25 year old Alyssa Gerharter, a California native who now lives in Manhattan. As the ball was nearing, Alyssa realized that she didn't have a glove to catch it. She put up her hands to shield herself but, well, take it away Alyssa:
It wasn't so much painful as it was shock. So I felt it hit me and I could feel immediately with my tongue there's a hole. And I looked down at my hand and saw there's a tooth in my hand.
Here's a brief timeline of events on her Twitter:
I have had a lot of margaritas yo
— Alyssa Gerharter (@alyxxg) September 12, 2016
Let's go @Dodgers !! pic.twitter.com/bvx6GMSnQ6
— Alyssa Gerharter (@alyxxg) September 13, 2016
Just got home from the ER... But at least we won the game? @YasielPuig @Dodgers pic.twitter.com/RxwR4HiC12
— Alyssa Gerharter (@alyxxg) September 13, 2016
Oof. The Daily News says that she went to the dentist later and had the tooth re-inserted. It looks like she's taking it all in stride, so we're all good.
Baseballs going into the stands can be dangerous, as shown by Gerharter's incident. But many times they're also a cause for hilarity:
