It is a scene that has been repeated far too often during Francisco Cervelli's five seasons with the Pirates.
The veteran catcher writhing in the dirt behind home plate in pain after being struck by a foul tip, a backswing or an errant pitch. Clint Hurdle and one of the athletic trainers coming out of the dugout to check on Cervelli.
The majority of time it turns out that Cervelli is OK despite seemingly getting dinged much more than the average catcher. Then there are scary moments like what happened in the fourth inning of Saturday night's 7-2 loss to the Dodgers at PNC Park, the fourth defeat in the last five games for the Pirates (25-24).
Cervelli was whacked on the back of his helmet by the barrel of Joc Pederson's broken bat with two outs in the fourth inning. Cervelli was then pinch hit for by backup catcher Elias Diaz in the bottom of the inning.
The Pirates later announced Cervelli had been removed because of "concussion-like symptoms."
While it should be noted that Cervelli was not positively diagnosed with a concussion, it must also be noted that he has a long history of head injures throughout his 12 years in the major leagues.
Cervelli was on the seven-day concussion injured list twice in each of the past two seasons. He also suffered three documented concussions during his seven years with the Yankees before being traded to the Pirates.
So, he has at least seven concussions. And that's just those that have been made public. Who knows how others he might have sustained but talked his way into staying in the game?
Players are customarily not made available to the media following games in which they suffer concussions.
However, on Friday, I asked him if he was concerned about the collective wear and tear catching has had on his 33-year-old body. He returned to the lineup Saturday after missing three games because of a bruised collarbone that came courtesy of a foul tip in Tuesday night's loss to the Rockies at PNC Park.
As usual, he shrugged it off.
"I'm a catcher," he said. "It's part of my job."
As with most medical issues, Hurdle declined to get into specifics about Cervelli's latest injury, saying "I just know that he felt bad enough to take him out of the game."
Cervelli originally stepped into the batter's box in the bottom of the fourth before removing himself from the game. That Cervelli had to make that call himself was a bit concerning. It seems someone else made the decision for him.
"I think there's a part of him that doesn't ever want to come out of games," Hurdle said. "There's a part of him that also thinks, 'You know what? I'm not going to do myself any good by continuing, either.' He's had enough experienced through it all by now that he knows when it's time to back away."
If Cervelli is placed on the IL, he would become the 22nd Pirates player to go on the list during a season that is just 49 games old.
It would also be the continuation of what has been a miserable season for Cervelli. He is hitting just .193/.279/.248 with four extra-base hits (three doubles and a home run) in 109 at-bats. That's not a lot of production for a guy making a team-high $11.5 million this season.
The Pirates would be in good hands with Diaz as the primary catcher should Cervelli be forced to the IL. However, that's secondary in many regards because it is becoming scary to think what the cumulative effects of all the concussions might have on Cervelli in the long run.
We've all read and heard the horror stories of some retired NFL and NHL players who had repeated concussions during their careers.
Cervelli is a vibrant guy with a charming personality, quick smile and a high degree of intelligence. After watching him take another blow to the hand, it's not to wonder -- and worry -- if he will continue to be that same vibrant person 20 years from now.
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