When Houston Astros prospect Delino DeShields Jr. recently took a 90-mph fastball to the face, his first reaction was to check his teeth.
“If anyone knows me. they know how much I love my teeth and my smile,” DeShields said in an interview with FOXSports.com. “It’s my money maker. But I was on the ground, felt for my teeth took a huge breath of relief and said, ‘at least all my teeth are still in.'”
The center fielder for the Double-A Corpus Christi team went viral when he retweeted a picture of his swollen cheek from the hospital last week. For suffering such a serious blow to the face, DeShields has managed to maintain an optimistic attitude. While it would be easy for the Double-A ballplayer to become frustrated and angered by his forced recovery time off the field, DeShields is handling his setback with patience and grace.
“I wasn’t scared at all. Everything happens for a reason, as silly as that may sound considering I got a ball to my face,” DeShields said. “But at the end of the day, I’m blessed and I know that God has something in store for me.”
While his swollen face looks like a serious injury, DeShields said he could have played the day after if he were allowed.
When asked if he was scared to get back on the field, he said, “If I get hit in the face again, so be it. I signed up, I’m committed to play this sport, there’s nothing in the contract or rules that say you aren’t gonna get hit in the face or be injured or anything like that, and I know that so I’m just gonna go and continue and do what I love to do.”
Photo via Instagram/@linodeshields
