DOBBS PAYS RESPECTS
BEFORE HEADING to the ballpark yesterday in New York, Greg Dobbs stopped at a hospital. The Florida Marlins third baseman visited 12-year-old Eli Shalomoff, who was hit in the face by a line drive during a game between Florida and the Mets on Monday.
BEFORE HEADING to the ballpark yesterday in New York, Greg Dobbs stopped at a hospital.
The Florida Marlins third baseman visited 12-year-old Eli Shalomoff, who was hit in the face by a line drive during a game between Florida and the Mets on Monday.
Dobbs said he went to Elmhurst Hospital and spent a little more than an hour with the boy and his family. He said the boy was doing OK after he was struck square in the face by Dobbs' foul liner in the opening game of a doubleheader at Citi Field.
"He's in as good spirits as he can be," said Dobbs, in his first year with Florida after four with the Phillies. "He's tired, obviously. He's dealing with a concussion, all the tests and everything. He's run down, he's hurting, but he's on the mend, thank God. Thank God it wasn't any worse."
Shalomoff was released from the hospital about 8 o'clock last night.
In addition to the concussion, Dobbs said the boy has a broken nose and a fractured sinus. But he said doctors do not anticipate any permanent damage.
"You think of the worst, but you pray for the best. It's just natural. You see a kid with a pool of blood in his lap holding up a towel to his face as he's being carted off, it's not a good sight," he said.
The boy was hurt in the ninth inning when Dobbs hooked a line drive into the rightfield seats, just beyond a photo well next to the New York dugout.
According to Dobbs, the boy said he never saw the ball coming at him because another fan jumped up in front of him trying to catch it, blocking his view.
The infielder said he has a couple of ideas for a care package that he wants to send to the boy, who is more of a Yankees fan than a Mets backer, Dobbs said.
"I wasn't trying to surprise him or do it for any other reason other than I'm just concerned for the kid's well-being. I just wanted the kid to be OK, show him that I care," Dobbs said. "I'm not just a guy in a uniform playing a game. We're all human. When an unfortunate thing happens like that and you impact someone's life, you should show you care."
In last night's game, Javier Vazquez (8-11) held the Mets to three singles in seven innings for his first win in more than a month and the Marlins broke a scoreless tie with a five-run seventh en route to a 6-0 victory. Dobbs went 0-for-5, with an RBI groundout.
In other games *
At Atlanta, Ryan Zimmerman and Michael Morse each had three hits, including a home run, Danny Espinosa and Laynce Nix also hit homers and Washington beat the Braves, 9-2. Also, the Nationals confirmed that Stephen Strasburg will make his first 2011 start on Sept. 6.
* A Houston, rookie Henry Sosa (2-2) held Pittsburgh to two hits and struck out seven in six innings in the Astros' 8-2 victory.
* At Milwaukee, Edwin Jackson (4-2) pitched seven innings and singled in the go-ahead run as St. Louis beat the Brewers, 2-1.
* At Phoenix, Miguel Montero's three-run homer in the fifth inning broke open a one-run game as Arizona beat Colorado, 9-4.