He Hit Me With a Bat… From Home Plate

There are moments from our younger years that get burned into memory so deeply, it’s like they happened yesterday. For me, one of those moments came during a pickup softball game back in eighth grade — right in the middle of the old practice football field.

Now, if you’ve ever been a middle school boy, you know eighth grade is a big year. It’s the age where you're trying to prove something — to yourself, your friends, and sometimes, to that one guy who just seems to be better than everyone else.

That day, we were playing an impromptu game out on the grass, just throwing down makeshift bases and swinging for the fences like it was Game 7 of the World Series. I was on first base. The other team? Well, let’s just say their lineup included the most dominant male in the school. You know the type — bigger, stronger, faster, with a reputation that walked into the room before he did.

He steps up to the plate. The pitcher lobs one in. He rears back and crushes it — a blistering line drive headed straight at me.

Now I’ll be honest: I surprised myself. I snagged it clean. Snap. Grab. Caught it.“YOU’RE OUT, BIG BOY!”

Pumped with adrenaline, I turned and casually tossed the ball back to the pitcher. And that’s when it happened.

The last thing I remember was watching that ball sail toward the mound……and then a flash — like lightning in my peripheral vision.I turned my head. And in slow motion, I watched an aluminum bat bouncing across the grass.

The same bat that just hit that line drive?Yeah, that one.It had just hit me.

There was no mistake. No accident. No confusion.He had thrown his bat — from home plate — and nailed me.

I looked around, thinking no way.But every face on that field confirmed what I feared.

And then?Down I went.Down goes Frazier, baby.

I didn’t play softball for a little while after that. But I’ll tell you what — I’ll never forget that day. Not because of the pain… but because it was one of those crazy, wild moments that only seem to happen when you're young, full of energy, and figuring out who you are.

Want more true stories from life, sports, and everything in between?Check out the Hayden Alabama Podcast on YouTube — real stories, clean conversations, and moments that stick with you.