The following is a list of injuries to players which occurred between August 8th and August 15th of the the SP78 season, with injuries noted by date, team, player, and number of days or weeks missed.
August 8th
LA: While sitting in the dugout talking with pitching coach Red Adams, relief pitcher Charlie Hough was struck on the arm by a foul line drive off the bat of Padres shortstop Ozzie Smith, the second batter of the game. Hough was not hurt, but for precautionary reasons, he was not used in the game, and would be cleared to play the following day.
CLE: In the first inning of their game against the Red Sox, Indians batter Jim Norris was struck on his right elbow by a pitch from Luis Tiant; he was replaced by a pinch-runner and left the game. X-rays showed no breaks or fractures, but Norris would miss four more games due to numbness in the elbow and arm.
August 9th
SF: During pre-game warm-ups, outfielder Larry Herndon pulled a thigh muscle while running wind sprints and would not participate in that afternoon’s contest. He would return to action the following day.
August 10th
OAK: In the second inning of their game against the Angels at Anaheim, A’s rookie Dell Alston ran into first baseman Ron Jackson while rounding the bag after his base hit, and left the game with an unspecified injury. He would miss seven games with what would later be classified as ‘lower body trauma’.
CAL: In the same game, Angels outfielder Lyman Bostock was injured chasing a shallow fly ball off the bat of A’s slugger Rico Carty, a violent collision that again involved first baseman Ron Jackson. Bostock would be lost for a week due to minor head injuries and dizziness, while Jackson was unhurt and remained in the game. It was Bostock’s fourth injury of the SP78 season, good for 22 games missed.
August 13th
NY-N: Another collision between a team’s first baseman and right fielder occurred in a match-up between the Cardinals and Mets at Shea Stadium; in the seventh, a routine fly to right by Dane Iorg fell for a double when Mets outfielder Elliott Maddox slammed into first baseman Willie Montanez, knocking both men to the ground. Montanez was not injured, but Maddox had to be helped off the field, and would be placed on the 15-day disabled list the following day due to a severe neck sprain.
SF: In the sixth inning of a Giants-Dodgers game at Dodger Stadium, Giants reliever Charlie Williams faced just one batter, walking Lee Lacy on four pitches, before signaling to manager Joe Altobelli that he needed to be taken out. He’d go on the 15-DL the next day, suffering from back spasms.
August 14th
CHI-N: Once again, a first baseman and a right fielder collided while chasing a fly ball, sending one man to the disabled list: Bill Buckner, who had settled under a pop-up from Braves batter Darrel Chaney, but never made the play when outfielder Jerry White crashed into him from behind, allowing the ball to drop as both fielders crumbled to the grass. Only Buckner left the game; he was placed on the 15-day DL with what the Cubs team physician described as ‘slight damage and contusions to the back and neck’.
MIN: In one of the more unlikely injuries of the season, Twins starter Gary Serum left the game against the Indians after just 1.1 innings pitched, due to the after-affects of food poisoning. He’d been stricken a few days earlier, and had felt well enough to make the start, but the exertion of pitching just one inning drained him of all energy, and he quickly became both exhausted and nauseated. He would miss one more start before feeling ready to pitch again.
August 15th
HOU: In his first day back after coming off the disabled list, outfielder Denny Walling pulled a calf muscle while taking his cuts during pre-game batting practice, and sat out that day’s game against the Cardinals. He returned to action—albeit as a pinch-hitter—the following day.
MON: Lance Parrish joined the growing list of players running into first basemen after base hits, doing so in the fourth inning of Montreal’s game against the Giants at Olympic Stadium. Parrish would depart for a pinch-runner and would miss the next three games with a knee injury, the result of falling to the stadium’s hard artificial turf after the collision. Mike Ivie, the recipient of Parrish’s wayward impact, remained in the game.
NY-N: First baseman Willie Montanez was out for three games after chasing a foul off the bat of Padres batter Jerry Turner at Shea Stadium and stumbling into the home dugout, where he twisted his left ankle. X-rays were negative.
SEA: M’s shortstop Craig Reynolds collided with left fielder Tom Paciorek during their game against the Orioles at the Kingdome in Seattle; Reynolds was the only player hurt, and left the game with a strained shoulder. The injury was severe enough to land him on the 15-day disabled list.
