Cole Hamels is the latest athlete to suffer a non-sports related injury under bizarre circumstances.
The Texas Rangers’ star pitcher needed eight stitches on his chin after he tripped coming out of his bathroom at five in the morning, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. Thankfully, Hamels wasn’t hurt and still appeared in the All-Star Game on Tuesday.
You could see the injury when Hamels was on the mound. He used a band-aid to cover up the stitches.
Hamels wasn’t going to let a handful of stitches prevent him from pitching in the All-Star game – especially considering the All-Star game actually matters. The veteran left-hander didn’t want to miss out on contributing to a potential victory with his American League teammates, and his Rangers are 5.5 up in the AL West, so home field advantage could end up mattering to his Texas squad as well.
Weirdly enough, Hamels isn’t the first pitcher to suffer a hotel room injury this month. San Diego Padres pitcher Tyson Ross twisted his ankle in a hotel room accident while exercising. The message appears to be, be extra cautious in a hotel environment. Injuries, even freak ones, can happen anywhere.