The 10 Strangest Injuries in Baseball History

I was doing a little thinking when a friend of mine was going over the Cubs' injuries from this year and offhand posed the rhetorical question: Wasn't Ryan Dempster's injury the most ridiculous you've ever seen?

Of course, Dempster was placed on the DL after hurting his toe jumping over the dugout barricade, moments after a come-from-behind win. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, that doesn't even come close to making the top 10 injuries of all time.

Sit back, relax, and scratch your head at some of the ways baseball players have injured themselves over the game's glorious history.

These are all 100 percent true.

10. Randy Veres

Ever been in a hotel room and the people next door are making so much noise, you can't get to sleep?

Well, that's exactly what happened to Veres.

He was forced to miss playing time after banging so heavily on the wall of his hotel room he managed to injure his hand.

Those must've been noisy people, that's all I can say.

9. Terry Harper

We are all accustomed now to the high fives at the end of any game. It's a simple gesture to convey the message "Job Well Done."

However, this caused grief when at one point Terry Harper injured his shoulder giving another player a high five.

8. Chris Brown

Ever woken up in the morning and not felt quite right?

Well, one day Chris Brown woke up, and he didn't feel quite right. The diagnosis: a strained eyelid. Brown was forced to miss a game thanks to the strained eyelid that occurred because he slept on it funny.

Now I'm not sure how other people sleep, but I can't remember the last time I tried sleeping on my eyelid.

One is often asked if you sleep on your front and back, and next time the conversation arises, add the eyelid in as well.

7. Steve Sparks

Ever seen a motivational speaker, wondered where they get their energy from, and thought that you could do exactly what they can do?

Steve Sparks has.

In 1994, Steve Sparks was so enthralled with a motivational speaker that he tried to act out one of the amazing feats these magical men do.

Trying to tear a telephone book in half like the incredible hulk, he managed to dislocate his shoulder.

Although it put him on the sideline, it did provide the wanted motivational method: Don't do stupid things like this, or your career might be on the line.

6. Larry Anderson

The jacuzzi is a friendly, warm relaxation palace to the untrained eye. However, during the three seasons that Larry Anderson played in the Major Leagues, he was forced to miss time after straining a rib getting out of the jacuzzi.

It is a very difficult apparatus to work out, so you would have to forgive him for having troubles. After all, it is no ordinary bath; no, it is indeed the jacuzzi.

5. Bob Feller

Bob Feller, the first ballot Hall Of Famer, was a very popular man among Indian fans. He holds a 266-162 record and is an intelligent pitcher on the mound.

Some, however, may not know that in 1951, Feller had to miss a week of the season. Below I present you with the snippet from the Free Lance-Star explaining why:

"Bob Feller, the Cleveland Indians mound star, was nursing burns on his lower legs and lower torso today—along with a previous back injury.

"He suffered the first and second degree burns yesterday as he prepared to take a whirlpool bath for the back injury. He lost control of the hose, and the near boiling water squirted onto his body."

Mishandling a whirlpool hose can obviously be very damaging to one's health, so watch out next time you are taking a bath.

4. Vince Coleman

Vince Coleman was the 1985 rookie of the year and a two-time All-Star.

Coleman was involved in one of the strangest injuries I have ever heard of.

During the 1985 NLCS, Vince Coleman was out on the field going through his warmup routine. He, however, was unaware that the decision had been made to cover the field.

Coleman was so transfixed by his warmup that he failed to notice that the electrical tarp machine had started to cover the field.

The tarp machine rolled over Coleman's leg, chipping a bone in his knee. He missed the rest of the postseason due to this injury.

3. Kevin Mitchell

Many will remember Mitchell for several different things. Perhaps you will remember him for his barehanded catch off of Ozzie Smith, or perhaps his mini-feud with Dwight Gooden.

Others will remember him for his 1989 NL MVP award, two All-Star nods, or the World Series he won with the 1986 Mets.

However, I will remember him for something else.

Kevin Mitchell was once sidelined due to a strained rib muscle. I hear you ask how he might've done such a thing...swinging too hard, perhaps rescuing a man from a burning car?

No, he did it vomiting. While lurching over the toilet seat, Mitchell felt a tweak in his ribs.

2. Bret Barbarie

Many people who are not Florida Marlins fans will not know the name Bret Barbarie. He was the man who got the first hit in Marlins history.

However, if you don't know him, here is another reason to remember his name.

At one point in Barbarie's career, he was forced to miss a start after accidentally rubbing chili sauce in his eye. I'm not sure how you accidentally rub it in your eye, but obviously it does happen.

Readers beware.

1. Kent Hrbek

Ever dreamt about wrestling a clubhouse attendant?

No?

Well, Kent Hrbek did, and the man acted on that dream.

Hrbek, who played his entire career with the Minnesota Twins organization, was forced to miss the last 10 games of the 1990 season after he injured himself wrestling in the locker room with a clubhouse attendant.