Pirates hitting coach Don Long stood in the Pittsburgh dugout on April 15 and tracked a ball hit by Nate McLouth. What he did not know was that at that moment, the sheared-off barrel from McLouth's bat was tumbling toward his face. The broken maple bat gashed Long's cheek, an injury that required 10 stitches, but the injury could have been much worse. It has re-ignited concern within Major League Baseball about the potential hazard posed by maple bats. When ash bats break, they tend to splinte ...

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