Last Updated: September 3rd, 2026 by Jeffrey Christo
Injuries have gone through their own transformation in terms of definition over the years in baseball. What used to be the DL is now the IL. The number of days that can be allotted for injuries has expanded and shrunk over time.
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What has remained the same is the fact that there are players who are going on paid leave for reasons that can be uncommon in the rest of MLB. Let's go over some stories of the most unique injuries in baseball history, whether they were true or not.
19. Glenallen Hill’s Spider Nightmare Fall
Arachnophobia is certainly real and not uncommon in the world. Glenallen Hill was a pretty solid player who was known to contribute to a number of teams. When he was on the Toronto Blue Jays, he apparently got injured jumping out of bed because he woke up thinking he saw some spiders crawling on him.
Hey, I get it. I wouldn't want to see a bunch of spiders on me in bed either. However, I know that remaining calm is probably the best reaction in a situation like that, real or imagined.
| Glenallen Hill — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| G | 1162 |
| AB | 3715 |
| H | 1005 |
| HR | 186 |
| RBI | 586 |
| SB | 96 |
| AVG | .271 |
| OBP | .321 |
| SLG | .482 |
| OPS | .803 |
| World Series titles | 1 |
18. Joel Zumaya’s Guitar Hero Wrist Injury
Joel Zumaya was one of the more electric relievers in baseball during his time. Unfortunately, he also had a penchant for playing a fake electric guitar.
Remember when Guitar Hero was all the rage? I had my fair share of hours playing it, and I can get the appeal. Zumaya just went a little too hard one time and got some wrist/forearm inflammation that sidelined him during the 2006 playoffs. I bet he was trying to get a perfect score on "Through the Fire and Flames".
| Joel Zumaya — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| W | 13 |
| L | 12 |
| ERA | 3.05 |
| G | 171 |
| IP | 209.2 |
| SO | 210 |
| WHIP | 1.35 |
| SV | 5 |
17. Wade Boggs’ Cowboy Boot Tumble
When a silly injury like this happens to a player who's on the bench, it might be a little less memorable. However, when a Hall of Famer loses his balance trying to put on his cowboy boots and ends up bruising his ribs in a fall, that can be one for the memory bank.
There are Boston fans who still remember this small instance because it happened to their best player.
| Wade Boggs — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| G | 2440 |
| AB | 9180 |
| H | 3010 |
| HR | 118 |
| RBI | 1014 |
| SB | 24 |
| AVG | .328 |
| OBP | .415 |
| SLG | .443 |
| OPS | .858 |
| All-Star selections | 12 |
| Gold Gloves | 2 |
| Silver Sluggers | 8 |
| World Series titles | 1 |
16. John Smoltz’s Steamed Shirt
This story seems a lot more believable now that we can listen to the personality of John Smoltz on a regular basis thanks to his color commentary on national MLB games.
Back when he was playing, this was an instance where you couldn't believe it actually happened. Smoltz was so intimidating when he was dominating opposing hitters during his playing career that this clumsy screw-up seemed unbelievable.
15. Adam Eaton’s DVD Stabbing Incident
Look, I remember when I was getting into DVDs back when they were popular. The wrapping was so neat and so tight that you could clearly see the cover, like there was no wrapping there at all. For collectors, that is perfect as long as they are not opening it.
But for those who just wanted to actually watch the movie, they needed to go through the struggle of opening the plastic wrapping. Adam Eaton didn't exactly approach this the right way and ended up needing a couple of stitches due to a paring knife stabbing himself.
| Adam Eaton — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| W | 71 |
| L | 68 |
| ERA | 4.94 |
| G | 209 |
| IP | 1178.2 |
| SO | 855 |
| WHIP | 1.44 |
| SV | 0 |
14. Sammy Sosa’s Sneeze-Induced Back Spasm
Different people have their own way of sneezing. Some try to hold back as much as possible. Others like to exaggerate how much they are sneezing. Then there are those who put their whole body into it.
That's what Sammy Sosa did back in 2004. He sneezed so hard that he threw his back out. I know I've thrown my back out doing some ordinary things, but that is one I've never had happen.
13. Marty Cordova’s Tanning Bed Face Burn
I am one that doesn't really understand why tanning beds are so popular. I am even more puzzled why a baseball player whose job is mostly in the sun thinks that they need to artificially tan themselves.
For Marty Cordova, the tanning bed was too comfortable. He fell asleep and had a mishap, as you'd assume. The artificial sun damage got to him before the actual sun did.
| Marty Cordova — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| G | 952 |
| AB | 3419 |
| H | 938 |
| HR | 122 |
| RBI | 540 |
| SB | 57 |
| AVG | .274 |
| OBP | .344 |
| SLG | .448 |
| OPS | .792 |
| Rookie of the Year | 1 |
12. Chris Coghlan’s Pie Celebration Knee Tear
Walk-off wins are so much fun and so unique to the sport of baseball. There are so many ways for it to happen. As for celebrating those walk-off wins, it can vary from team to team.
Chris Coghlan decided that a shaving cream pie to the face was needed for this particular victory and ended up landing awkwardly as he did it. He ended up tearing his meniscus and ended his season.
| Chris Coghlan — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| G | 801 |
| AB | 2580 |
| H | 666 |
| HR | 53 |
| RBI | 234 |
| SB | 47 |
| AVG | .258 |
| OBP | .334 |
| SLG | .398 |
| OPS | .732 |
| World Series titles | 1 |
| Rookie of the Year | 1 |
11. Ken Griffey Jr.’s Home Run Celebration Injury
There are so many great accomplishments that the greatest players of this game get to celebrate that some celebrations can get lost in history. Ken Griffey Jr. probably won't forget his milestone home run, which was his 400th of his career.
He unfortunately injured his knee celebrating and had to add it to the list of ailments that he endured throughout his great career.
10. Clint Barmes’ Deer Meat Collarbone Break
Clint Barmes was a promising young player in 2005. He was ready to contribute to the always exciting Rockies offense. However, before he could regularly play baseball games, he had to carry some game up a flight of stairs.
Why? His Hall of Fame teammate, Todd Helton, gifted him a slab of venison to take back to his apartment, which was up a flight of stairs. Next thing he knew, Barmes was on the floor with a broken collarbone and a missed season.
| Clint Barmes — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| G | 1186 |
| AB | 3805 |
| H | 932 |
| HR | 89 |
| RBI | 415 |
| SB | 43 |
| AVG | .245 |
| OBP | .294 |
| SLG | .379 |
| OPS | .673 |
9. Steve Sparks’ Phone Book Shoulder Dislocation
Here's an injury that couldn't happen today. The fact that I have to explain to young adults what a phone book was confirms that this won't ever happen again. For many years, phone books weren't just used as information for businesses and people. It was also a common tool to test strength.
For Steve Sparks, he was just trying to emulate a motivational group and started his own attempt at ripping a phone book in half. It didn't go so well for him, and he ended up dislocating his shoulder.
| Steve Sparks — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| W | 59 |
| L | 76 |
| ERA | 4.88 |
| G | 270 |
| IP | 1319.2 |
| SO | 658 |
| WHIP | 1.49 |
| SV | 3 |
8. George Brett’s Laundry Room Incidents
Back in the day, having the television in one room brought out some habits in people that aren't as common today as they used to be. George Brett was busy doing some laundry with the TV on in another room. He rushed over to watch what was happening and ended up injuring his toe in the process.
For me, growing up, if the Saturday morning cartoons were on and I was just waking up, I remember sprinting to the TV and sometimes colliding with a piece of furniture that I didn't want to. Trust me, it hurt.
7. Kevin Mitchell’s Donut-Induced Tooth Break
There's something funny about a powerful athlete who was as successful as Kevin Mitchell was, being the 1989 NL MVP, getting injured in this way. He was trying to microwave a frozen donut, and it didn't go as well as he thought.
He bit into it confidently and ended up chipping a tooth, as it was probably still frozen somewhere in the middle. He had to miss some games for that, but at least this one wasn't very serious compared to most of the entries on this list.
6. Tom Glavine’s Airplane Vomit Rib Break
This is one that makes me sick to read, as I know it was sick to live through. Tom Glavine was one of the best pitchers in baseball at the time of this incident in 1992.
He was on a flight that was serving some food, and he got immediate food poisoning, throwing up so violently that he broke his ribs in the process. Nothing about that situation makes me comfortable.
5. Rickey Henderson’s Frostbitten Feet in August
The good old ice treatment is a classic way to gain relief after some hard physical work. You can imagine Rickey Henderson needed ice on his feet, as he was the best base runner that baseball has ever seen. One time he was getting some ice relief but fell asleep.
When he woke up, he had some minor frostbite and needed even more recovery from something that was supposed to be providing it to him.
| Rickey Henderson — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| G | 3081 |
| AB | 10961 |
| H | 3055 |
| HR | 297 |
| RBI | 1115 |
| SB | 1406 |
| AVG | .279 |
| OBP | .401 |
| SLG | .419 |
| OPS | .820 |
| MVP | 1 |
| All-Star selections | 10 |
| Gold Gloves | 1 |
| Silver Sluggers | 3 |
| World Series titles | 2 |
4. Brian Anderson’s Iron Burn to the Face
Sometimes you have to wonder what a player would be doing if they weren't playing baseball. When an injury like this happens you kind of scratch your head and think about what that guy could possibly have been thinking.
The fact of the matter is, he probably wasn't. Brian Anderson was testing to see how hot his iron for his clothes was. Instead of spritzing some water out and pressing the iron onto it, he just put the iron straight to his face and ended up burning it. As simple and as dumb as that.
3. Clarence Blethen’s False Teeth Baseball Bite
This is a story that I have heard before that has been told kind of like those tall tales. In 1923, there was a pitcher named Clarence Blethen who had false teeth. He would remove those teeth to intimidate batters mid-game with his toothless smile.
The problem was that it was still in his back pocket when he was trying to slide into second one time. It ended up literally biting him in the behind. This has been told and passed around like the story of Paul Bunyan as it can still entertain today.
2. Cal Ripken Jr.’s All-Star Photo Day Nose Break
This one seems so unbelievable because the reputation of the player it happened to precedes it. We all know that Cal Ripken Jr. is the Iron Man who broke the record for most consecutive games played. In the middle of that streak, Ripken Jr. was in attendance for one of his 19 All-Star games.
He was taking photos with the group when Roberto Hernandez, a reliever on the All-Star team, lost his balance and elbowed Cal's face. As we know, he didn't take a day off for that, nor for anything else in that hallowed streak.
| Cal Ripken Jr. — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| G | 3001 |
| AB | 11551 |
| H | 3184 |
| HR | 431 |
| RBI | 1695 |
| SB | 36 |
| AVG | .276 |
| OBP | .340 |
| SLG | .447 |
| OPS | .787 |
| MVP | 2 |
| All-Star selections | 19 |
| Gold Gloves | 2 |
| Silver Sluggers | 8 |
| World Series titles | 1 |
| Rookie of the Year | 1 |
1. Nolan Ryan’s Coyote Bite Incident
Nolan Ryan is a Texan through and through. He never felt more at home than when he was playing for the Texas teams during his career. He was with the Houston Astros in 1985, earning one of his eight career All-Star selections. As you would assume, Ryan had a ranch that he would tend to.
One day, a coyote was fighting with his dog at the ranch, and he broke up the fight, but received a bite from the coyote in the process. It caused him to have to miss a start, but we're lucky it wasn't worse. The Ryan Express still had eight more years to go after that.
