Whit Merrifield rages over dangerous fastballs: ‘That was my life on the line’

ATLANTA — Whit Merrifield has had enough of control-challenged pitchers hitting batters with pitches.

The veteran infielder became the latest in a string of Atlanta Braves players hit by fastballs when he was plunked in the back of his head Tuesday by Colorado Rockies rookie Jeff Criswell, and Merrifield said Major League Baseball needs to do something about the situation before someone is seriously injured — or worse.

“Where the game’s at right now, it’s just ridiculous,” said Merrifield, who was hit by a 94.5 mph pitch in the seventh inning of the Braves’ 3-0 win, leaving a welt just behind his left ear at the top of his neck. “I hate where the game’s at right now with that.”

Merrifield, a player rep on the MLB Competition Committee, shouted at Criswell while being attended to on the field, and again as he was walking off with a Braves trainer. Merrifield passed concussion protocol tests but was on his way to a CT scan after the game to rule out internal injuries.

He was hit by a 1-0 fastball after Criswell missed way inside with a first-pitch slider.

Braves Travis d’Arnaud and Austin Riley were hit by up-and-in fastballs in consecutive games Aug. 18-19 against the Los Angeles Angels. D’Arnaud missed five games with a forearm contusion and Riley landed on the injured list with a broken hand that’s expected to sideline him for six to eight weeks.

Michael Harris II left an Aug. 25 game after being hit in the hand by a fastball from Nationals rookie DJ Herz leading off the first inning and left the game a few innings later. X-rays and an MRI showed no fracture and he returned to the lineup two days later.

“We lost Riley, we almost lost Mike, we almost lost d’Arnaud in a span of two or three weeks,” Merrifield said. “The way pitchers are throwing now, there’s no regard for throwing up and in. The guys are throwing as hard as they can, they don’t care where the ball goes. And it’s just … it’s bulls—-.”

Merrifield wasn’t done venting.

Not even close.

“You can’t hit a guy anymore (in retaliation),” he said. “There’s no fear that, ‘Oh, if I hit this guy, our guy’s going to get hit.’ That’s not in the game anymore. Pitchers don’t have to hit anymore, so they don’t have to stand in the box. And the teams are bringing pitchers up that don’t know where the hell the ball is going. They throw 100 miles an hour, so it’s, ‘Alright, we’ll see if he can get the guys out. Just set up down the middle and throw as hard as you can.’ And it’s bulls—, and it’s driving me nuts.”

He said something needs to be done, and he will do what he can to help get the situation addressed.

“I’m on the Rules Committee, and we’ve got a call (Wednesday),” he said, “and it’s going to be a long conversation on what we’ve got to do to make pitchers think about … I just took 95 right off the head. I’m very lucky that it got me in a good spot, and I’ve got to go get a CAT scan. I’m out of the game, he gets to stay in to pitch, I’m probably not going to be able to play tomorrow.”

Criswell, 25, was making his seventh MLB relief appearance. He pitched 1 2/3 innings Tuesday and was charged with one hit, one run and three walks with one strikeout. He threw just 23 strikes in 41 pitches.

“No repercussion on his part, and I mean, without being overly dramatic, that was my life on the line right there,” Merrifield said. “So, I’m sick of it, it’s happening way too much. I watched Taylor Ward get hit in the face last year and have to get reconstructive surgery. Justin Turner got hit in the face last year. It’s happening at an exponential rate. Guys are getting hit in the hand, Mookie Betts broke a bone in his hand this year. It’s just ridiculous, and it has to be fixed. Or, God forbid, something terrible’s going to happen.

“If this hits me in a different spot, I mean … it’s just pathetic. It’s frankly pathetic, that some of the pitchers that we’re running out there don’t know where the ball’s going, at the major-league level. It’s got to be fixed. It just pisses me off to no end.”

(Photo: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)