Major League Baseball

How Kevin Pillar has united the Major League Baseball community

Published May. 19, 2021 8:46 p.m. ET

By Martin Rogers
FOX Sports Columnist

Kevin Pillar is not a famous guy. He’s a tough guy. He isn't a superstar on the New York Mets, but he’s one of the group, a valued member of both roster and clubhouse, a guy relied on for effort and wise words and the right kind of example.

He’s a career .262 hitter, and he’s a friend to many. It has been that way everywhere he has played during a Major League Baseball career that’s on its fifth stop, including even the places where his stay was brief.

That is part of why an incident that would have been scary and shocking no matter whom it happened to reverberated even more strongly this week. Pillar, 32, has unwittingly united baseball behind him.

The Mets outfielder was readying to face Atlanta Braves pitcher Jacob Webb in the top of the seventh inning Monday when Webb uncorked a 95 mph fastball but lost control of it. It flew high and inside, an unstoppable missile headed straight for Pillar’s face, dropping him immediately into the dirt.

Blood spurted from his nose, which was broken in multiple places and will require surgery. A stunned hush fell over Atlanta’s Truist Park. There was so much blood they had to disinfect the soil. It was terrifying.

As it came apparent that Pillar — while obviously far from OK — was able to leave the playing area under his own steam, baseball drew breath. Messages of support came pouring in. The days since have provided the opportunity for reflection and some serious lingering concern.

Baseball remains a sport that is both time-honored and utterly modern. The traditions and customs of the game remain rooted and revered, yet certain elements of how it is played are evolving at warp speed. Strikeouts have been surging like crypto, with the exception that strikeouts didn’t tank this week. Pitchers are throwing harder than ever, and the desire for extra velocity is at an all-time high.

And thus, batters are getting hit more frequently. The hit-by-pitch rate is now up to 0.46 per game, the loftiest mark in the modern era. That represents a 28% increase from 2017 and correlates with a rise in the number of pitchers who can throw an average fastball of at least 95 mph, namely 22% of the league’s arms.

Often, when a ball strikes a batter, the contact is mild or incidental. But not always.

"Not all [pitches] shatter noses, strike cheekbones or injure wrists," wrote USA TODAY’s Gabe Lacques. "But baseball is a game largely of probability … there is a growing concern more players could end up in ambulances rather than shaking it off and ambling to first."

Lacques spoke to Philadelphia Phillies manager Joe Girardi, who admitted that he screamed at the television as he watched the Mets-Braves game at home. He surely wasn’t the only one. Even watching it on replay, knowing what is coming, makes you flinch.

There are different parts to the story. There is Webb, the unfortunate pitcher who meant no malice and was visibly shaken by what transpired.

"This is the first time I’ve had an incident like this," Webb told reporters. "It’s tough. You never want to hurt a fellow competitor. It’s definitely tough moving forward."

He and Pillar have met and texted, with the batter reassuring the man whose fireball cracked him open that there is no ill feeling.

"I’m almost more worried about him than I am myself," Pillar said. "I saw his reaction. I know how tough that can be when someone feels responsible for someone getting injured."

Then there is the impact on baseball, generally. Hitters wouldn’t be human if they weren’t affected by what they see. The Pillar incident follows the Phillies’ Bryce Harper being struck on the cheekbone by a recent thunderbolt from St. Louis Cardinals lefty Genesis Cabrera.

There seems to be a growing school of thought among managers that something needs to be done. No one knows quite what. Does it come down to protective equipment measures or more subtle tweaks that deal with how teams are handling their farm systems? Simply put, pitchers are being brought up more quickly, and more is being asked of them. Accuracy is going to be affected in such scenarios. Good luck finding a fix for that.

The final piece to this week’s puzzle is Pillar, who has worn his plight bravely and become truly beloved within the sport because of it.

On Tuesday, Pillar marched into the clubhouse and said he wanted to play. The Mets won’t let him, of course, and he’s now on the 10-day injured list. But he’ll probably be back sometime in June, maybe wearing a protective mask.

The season is still young, but that one dramatic moment has left the sport with a lot to deal with. Pillar’s injury is a warning and an acknowledgement that baseball is a tremendous sport but not a soft one.

There are issues to be addressed, ongoing worry to hopefully solve and, thanks to Pillar, a reminder that for all its competitive ferocity, baseball cares about its own.

Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider Newsletter. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.