South Carolina baseball alum nailed in head with 94 MPH fastball, understandably has angry reaction

South Carolina baseball legend Whit Merrifield had a scary moment on Tuesday night.

The former Gamecock, now playing for the Atlanta Braves, was batting in the bottom of the 7th inning against Colorado Rockies right-handed relief pitcher Jeff Criswell when the latter lost control of his fastball. The 94 MPH pitch went straight for Merrifield's head, and because he was ducking to get out of the way, the ball missed his helmet, making direct contact with the back of Merrifield's skull.

Thankfully, Merrifield appeared to be alright after the incident. He left the field under his own power and (somehow) passed initial concussion tests. He underwent a CT scan and the scan came back clean, as well. All in all, Merrifield got lucky.

After getting helped to his feet following the beanball, Merrifield had a few not-so-happy things to say to Criswell on his way off the field, and the anger over what transpired continued during the utilityman's postgame media availability. Speaking to a group of reporters in the locker room, Merrifield said:

"It's ridiculous...teams are bringing pitchers up who don't know where the ball is going...it's driving me nuts, and I hate where the game is at right now with that. I'm on the rules committee, and we've got a call tomorrow...it's going to be a long conversation."

Merrifield has a valid point. Criswell, though not having any ill intent in this situation, should never have been there to make this mistake. In Double-A ball in 202, he posted an ERA of 7.51, and in Triple-A in 2024, his ERA was 6.24. Still, despite not showing any statistical evidence that he was worthy of a chance in the Bigs, he was called up to pitch at the Major League level because he throws pretty hard.

Criswell's story is not an isolated one as the game of baseball has shifted toward pitchers (especially relief pitchers) prioritizing velocity over all things, including control. As Merrifield correctly pointed out, the change has endangered hitters.

In addition to being concerned for his own safety, Merrifield's frustrations are compounded by his teammates' misfortune of being hit by fastballs up and in this season. Third baseman Austin Riley and centerfielder Michael Harris both were hit in the hand in recent weeks, and catcher Travis D'Arnaud was popped in the wrist, too. Riley suffered a fracture, but Harris and D'Arnaud got lucky this time.

Merrifield went on to bring up the example of his teammates and others around the league to reinforce his point:

"It's just ridiculous. We lost Riley, we almost lost Mike, we almost lost D'Arnaud in a span of two or three weeks. With the way pitchers are throwing now, there's no remorse or regard for throwing up and in. Guys are throwing as hard as they can, and they don't care where the ball goes...I just took 95 [MPH] off the head. I'm very lucky...I've got to come out of the game, he gets to stay in and pitch, and I'm probably not going to be able to play tomorrow with no repercussions on his part. Without being over-dramatic, that was my life on the line...Mookie Betts broke a bone in his hand...It has to be fixed or, God forbid, something terrible is going to happen."