Highland fielder's fly ball hits head, clears wall
Butler designated hitter Tanay Vyas hit a high fly ball to right-center field that struck Highland center fielder Jake Shields on the head and bounced over the outfield wall for a two-run home run. The error occurred with a runner on first base and two outs in the bottom of the third inning of Highland's 8-4 loss to Butler in the first game of a doubleheader Thursday at McDonald Stadium in Kansas. Shields had run in from well short of the warning track, misjudging the ball while shielding the sun with his glove and sunglasses.
The play evoked a 1988 blunder by then-Texas Rangers outfielder Jose Canseco, when Cleveland Indians designated hitter Carlos Martinez lofted a fly ball to the warning track in right field. Canseco reached the wall but allowed the ball to hit his head and bounce over for a home run. Shields' miscue propelled the ball at least 30 feet after impact, unlike Canseco's at the fence.
An announcer reacted: "Oh! Right off his forehead. Oh my, Jake Shields is going to feel that for a long time." Shields bent over, holding his head, as Butler took a 3-1 lead.
Butler swept the ensuing four-game series from Highland.
