Baseball Notes | Coach struck by ball dies
Baseball Notable Mike Coolbaugh, a Colorado Rockies minor-league coach, died after being struck in the head by a line drive as he stood in the first-base coach's box during a game Sunday night in North Little Rock, Ark.
Baseball Notable
Mike Coolbaugh
, a Colorado Rockies minor-league coach, died after being struck in the head by a line drive as he stood in the first-base coach's box during a game Sunday night in North Little Rock, Ark.
The Tulsa Drillers coach was knocked unconscious by Tino Sanchez's foul ball during the ninth inning against the double-A Arkansas Travelers. He was taken to Baptist Medical Center-North Little Rock, where he was pronounced dead.
North Little Rock Police Sgt. Terry Kuykendall said Coolbaugh, 35, was alive when he was put in an ambulance but stopped breathing as he arrived at the hospital.
Coolbaugh was signed by the Phillies as a free agent on Dec. 5, 2002, and released two months later. He played 44 games in the majors as an infielder for the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers. His brother, Scott, also played in the majors.
Houston Astros centerfielder Hunter Pence, one of the top candidates for National League rookie of the year, was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained right wrist.
Infielder Ronnie Belliard and the Washington Nationals agreed to a $3.5 million, two-year contract extension through 2009.
- Associated Press