Tyler Zombro, Durham Bulls relief pitcher, talks with Jeff Passan about his recovery after being hit in the head by a line drive. He also discusses his future plans for baseball. (6:19)
Tyler Zombro took to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park mound and threw the 245th pitch in his minor league career, a 90.6 mph sinker. With a count of 1-2, Zombro faced Brett Cumberland, of the Norfolk Tides. This opened the top of the 8th. It was just after 9 p.m. Rain delayed the game and made it difficult for morale to rise. The Bulls were trailing by 8 runs.
Zombro lost his right hand and the pitch was struck by the batter.
The next few moments were excruciatingly slow, but they happened quickly. On a line drive to the middle, the ball flew at 104 mph. Zombro was barely able to react when the ball struck him on the right side, just above his ear. Before he fell to the ground, he was already unconscious.
Rick Knapp (Bulls pitching coach), who has been involved in professional baseball for almost 40 years, said that it was "the single most traumatic thing" he'd ever seen. We rolled him over and turf covered his face and body. He's turning gray. It was horrible. It was brutal. "I thought we were going lose him."
The subsequent series of responses from EMTs, EMTs, and emergency room staff at Bulls saved Zombro's brain and life. Doctors had already placed 16 plates and 32 screws in Zombro's head by the time the sun rose above Durham.
Zombro doesn't recall any of this. Knapp instructed Zombro to be ready to pitch in the fifth inning. He has been given bits of information from others about the rest of the night, and they have been retold piece by piece. It has been a difficult and frustrating journey back to Tyler in the weeks and days since.
He is often asked if he will ever be able to play again baseball. He initially resisted being asked. It was Zombro's narrow view of him as an individual. His greatest talents lie in his mind, not his arm, according to his closest friends. He graduated college with a 3.9 GPA, which was the highest in his class. He is an analytical genius, fluently conversant in complex mathematics and statistics -- skills Zombro used to train other pitchers in order to reach the pinnacles.
Zombro stated, "Through my work in the secondary side, other than my playing career," he said. "I am not someone who has sold out on my physical capabilities. One could say that God gave him enough physical ability to become a professional pitcher. I believe I have the potential to be a major league pitcher. However, that is not the whole picture of me.
The Zombro story is not likely to be about a return to baseball supremacy, at least not in a way that we are used too. Instead, his journey is about finding out how someone who used to need baseball so much -- who was drafted but never made it -- can become someone that baseball needs. It's a transformation of your identity that will leave most athletes feeling unmoored and filled with uncontrollable rage.
Zombro, 26 years old, has already written the story about his injury in the book for posterity. The emotion is trapped in the ink as the ink dries. It is an event that occurred in the long arc, of a life filled with many things that have happened. However, it is not so easy for his wife or his teammates.
Tyler Zombro (26-year-old relief pitcher) was hit in the head on June 3 by a line drive at 104 mph. TA Films
Just a few years ago, Zombro was unsure if he would ever wear a professional uniform. It was June 2017 and the Major League Baseball draft had begun. Zombro was available. He was there with his former girlfriend, now wife Moriah, as well as his family. The draft was turned on the TV by them; everyone was expecting a ringing telephone.
He had pitched for four years at George Mason University in Fairfax (Virginia) and had a 2.78 ERA in his final season. He knew that the Kansas City Royals had many GMU alumni, including Dayton Moore, their GM, so it seemed like a natural fit. He had also been close to a deal with another team last year, but it didn't go through, so he believed they would be back in the mix.
Zombro came up with a way to pass the time. He went out for dinner and played cards, but the minutes, hours and days of the draft passed by without Zombro calling.
"When you are undrafted, you compare yourself to everyone." Zombro stated that it's not a good feeling. "I wouldn't lie to you if i said that there wasn’t bitterness in seeing people I signed over."
Zombro was a R&D Baseball Academy player development and training center near Washington, D.C. since his graduation. While in college, he interned at R&D Baseball Academy and found his passion for the game's analytics. Zombro used data to create unique programs for college and professional players. It turned out that he was quite good at it.
Sam McWilliams said that while there are many baseball-minded guys, he has never seen or heard of anyone who does both. He credits Zombro's training for helping him to sign a major league contract in November 2020.
He felt that there was a bright future for this side of the game. Although he saw the performance of pitchers as a direct result, he wasn't ready for him to stop playing.
Zombro stated that he knew that he still needed the game to play and remain within it. "I was still living on George Mason's campus, and I used to walk past the baseball field. A lot of my reflection was like, "How can I have such a high-caliber college career, but I'm not signed?" "How can I not be a professional baseball player?"
Zombro sat under a tree, on a grassy bank just behind the field, on one of those walks. He prayed for clarity and for an answer. He saw baseball as a part of himself, and it was a link through the generations.
Melvin "Wimpy" Zombro was his grandfather and he played in the Philadelphia Athletics. Tyler and Tyler's grandmother got married at the stadium's home plate. She was wearing a wedding dress and he in his uniform.
Zombro's father, Tim, was a Bridgewater College player and had some friends and teammates go to the bigs. A lot of Zombro’s childhood in Virginia’s Shenandoah valley was spent with his father to go see them play -- especially former Virginia Tech player Mike Williams, who is the Pirates' closer. They went back to the park on one of those trips after Williams made a huge save. They reached the bullpen and Williams gave Zombro the ball from the previous night.
"I've been around the game all my life," Zombro stated. "Whether it was going down to my grandfather's batting cage, going to the field, or watching a game, it was the center point of our relationship for as long as we can remember."
As he grew older, Zombro realized that he too had a chance at being a star at big stadiums and professional ball players. He faced the possibility of changing everything he had imagined for his life when the draft ended without his name being called.
He found himself under a tree, praying to God for guidance, and the college field sprang out in front of him.
Zombro was still at work the next day when his phone rang. The area scout called Zombro to inform him that the Tampa Bay Rays wanted him signed.
"Life changed in a flash. The next day, I was on a plane."
In an emergency procedure to stabilize Zombro's skull, neurosurgeons at Duke University Hospital placed 16 plates and 36 screws in 2 1/2 hours. TA Films
ZOMBRO worked his way through the Rays' farm program and made his debut with the Triple-A Durham Bulls in 2019. The Rays named him the minor league relievers of the year. The coronavirus pandemic struck and the field was left empty. Minor league baseball cancelled the 2020 season. The minors resumed play in spring 2021 and Zombro was on the field again. They were childhood friends and later married. After years of living apart in the minor leagues, they had a puppy and were finally able live together fully. The first eight games were a good start to the season.
Joey Krehbiel was relieved by Zombro in the ninth game. Moriah sat next to Tyler's friend, Tyler, among loyal fans who had endured the rain delay -- all oblivious of the events that lay just beyond their reach.
Any pitch, any at bat, has the potential to transform an ordinary and unremarkable play into something that will live in the hearts of all who see it. Although you hope to see the one that is in the top 10 reels for a lifetime of play, either the unpredictable nature of fate or the reliability of statistics can cause unexpected outcomes.
Brett Sullivan, a Bulls catcher who was Zombro's friend and best friend, was the first to reach Zombro when he was hit. Sullivan witnessed Zombro stiffen and arch as a seizure ripped through him body. He was unsure what to do. He begged Zombro to keep breathing. He took out a towel to keep the cameras and fans from seeing what he was and his teammates were seeing.
Moriah thought that he had been hit in the stomach, or the ribs, until she saw the seizure coming from the stands. She ran to the field screaming at her teammates to check on him. She couldn’t breathe. Josh Lowe, center fielder, helped her to the other side of the fence.
"The worst thing was seeing him face-first into the dirt. She said that she heard him scream in pain and making noises. It didn't sound like him. He didn't sound at all like the noises he made.
"I can still remember asking the first base coach: "Where's the ambulance?" "Where's the ambulance?" It seemed like time was moving so slowly and no one knew what he was doing," stated Brett Cumberland, of the Norfolk Tides. His line drive hit Zombro. "I felt terrible. "I couldn't stop thinking of him."
Zombro, who joined Bulls in 2019, spent six consecutive days at Duke University Hospital. Four of those were in intensive care. Mary DeCicco/MLB photos via Getty Images
Zombro was taken off the field eleven minutes after he was struck. Moriah was allowed access to Zombro when he arrived at the emergency room. Zombro was conscious, but not fully coherent. Visitors couldn't stay so she had to go as Zombro was being rolled into surgery.
"My greatest fear was leaving him for surgery and going home for the night.... Is he going to be able to remember that I was there?" Moriah stated that he didn't want him awaken and not to know where he is and to be alone.
Dr. Steven Cook, a Duke University Hospital neurosurgeon, is a Durham Bulls season ticket holder. He had planned to attend the game on June 3, but it was likely to be cancelled due to rainout. On that same evening, he was on trauma call and received a call from the emergency room. A patient had been injured by a baseball. His son showed him the video as he was about to leave. He was able to recognize Zombro's name. They had seen him pitch before.
Dr. Cook and two residents in neurosurgery performed a two and a half hour operation to remove bone fragments and elevate the fracture that was pressing into Zombro's skull. They also installed the screws and titanium plates needed to rebuild and stabilize his skull. To relieve pressure from the brain bleeding, they also installed a drain.
Dr. Cook stated that the impact of the baseball on his skull caused a comminuted bone fracture at the temporal bone. This is a very thin area of the skull. He needed immediate intervention. "It was serious, and he required urgent intervention. But, I knew that if we got him to surgery, and he received the proper post-operative care, he'd do well."
Moriah required more convincing. During his first days in ICU, she and the Zombros kept a close eye on him. He was in pain and struggling to speak, but he could not stay awake for more than a few minutes at a stretch. She was worried that he would forget who he was, and that his speech wouldn't return.
Zombro stated that the first moments of clarity were when Zombro saw his mom, dad, and wife. Although I wasn't speaking much, it was easy to look at them and tell them, "I know that's mine mom, I know my dad, and I know it is my wife." It was just being able see them and understand their personalities. I could also give a 'yes' or "no" via a quick head shake.
His speech, motor function, sensation and control of the left side of the body were affected by the bruising and subsequent swelling. He recalled his wedding day and pictured the faces of those who were there. He knew that he had his memories. He could see through the fog with that.
The comminuted fracture in Zombro's right side is visible in pre-op 3D images. His speech, motor skills, and cognitive function were affected by the bruising. Tyler Zombro/Duke University Hospital
After spending four days in the ICU, and two more at the hospital for monitoring, Zombro was discharged. Moriah was a registered nurse and took over Zombro's care. Although he had to go through many therapies -- speech, occupational, and cognitive -- he was finally at home.
"The first day he came home from the hospital, I and [Bulls relief pitcher] Phoenix [Sanders] were there to see him," Sullivan stated. He was so sweet. Although he didn't say much, he did give all three of us -- Phoenix, me, and my son -- his knuckles. We told him that we loved him and he could see that we loved him. He was going to be fine, I knew that right away."
It was hard the first month. The brain of Zombro was still swollen. His left side had no sensory or motor control. He was unable to speak and his speech was slow. He slept a lot.
Zombro stated that there was a lot of fear in my head about not being able to get back to the same place I was before. It was extremely frustrating to be in the first OT appointment with a task that required me use my left side of the body. After about a month, the inflammation subsided and speech, motor, and sensory cortex cleared up. Then I felt much better about things.
A therapist had told Zombro that he was slow at pattern recognition tests. He bought a Sudoku book, and the next night he ripped through all the puzzles, timing each one. He later set up an eye tracking test, which required him to flash buttons at home on the kitchen island. He worked hard at it.
Moriah, Zombro's family, and his teammates struggled to remember June 3, even as he became more self-confident. Moriah returned home that night, anxiously waiting for updates on Zombro's health. She then watched the video of the hit. Although she says that she didn't regret the decision, she still has nightmares about that image.
Nighttime seems to be the most difficult, as it plays in a constant loop. She said that there were many nights when I couldn’t hold it in and had to let go of the tears.
The replay is still a constant reminder of the incident to Zombro's coaches, teammates and manager. Nearly all of them got emotional after being asked about it. Zombro said that many were shaken up in their locker rooms after replaying the incident for ESPN's interviews.
"I feel guilty about it and probably shouldn't, however, the fact that this was the most frightening night of many of their lives hurts -- which is why my motivation to be back with them, to continue being better mentally, physical, and get back where I need to go," Zombro stated.
The postoperative CT scan shows Zombro's bone repair and the drain that his surgeons used to remove the fluid buildup. Tyler Zombro/Duke University Hospital
ZOMBRO IS VERY CLOSE TO RECALLING TO ORIGINAL PERFORMANCE. ZOMBRO is working on his reaction time and eye tracking, but he has tried all of his rehab treatments. Tread Athletics is his private training facility in Charlotte. Zombro spends most of his time poring over frame-by-frame video of major league pitchers in order to identify biomechanical issues and find ways to increase velocity or get more depth with a curve ball. Then, he creates a customized training program and works with each player to put it into practice.
"I believe the most important impact I have felt in my career in baseball over the past few years, technically outside the professional game in private sector, has been seeing guys' careers grow and being able see them get answers they didn't previously have," Zombro stated. It's my greatest reward in life if I can help them get in a better place. This is better than saving in many different situations.
About 300 athletes have been trained by Zombro through R&D Baseball and Tread Athletics. This number rises to nearly 1,500 when you add his supervision of data and the writing of recommendation reports.
Brian Grieper, a paralegal and agent at Paragon Sports International, said that Zombro's ability to analyze data and pitch biomechanics and then show the guys how to actually implement it is something that is rare in baseball. He has coached many clients. He's done an amazing job helping guys get better. His perspective is that the sky's the limit for baseball, if he chooses to pursue it.
Six months after his injury, Tyler will have another CT scan. This will help determine if he will be able to return to the mound. Dr. Cook is positive, and Tyler wants to play again, but not necessarily for his benefit.
"If the fracture isn't healed properly, they will be able to say that I'm not allowed to play again. "If that's the case, I don't want my family and friends who supported me throughout the game to be the last image of me on the mound." he stated.
Tyler and Moriah will have a time in their lives when Tyler's and Moriahs's lives won't be so divided into an before and after. Moriah has returned to work and there is more time between moments when she is worried about him being at home alone. He has been cleared to drive again. This means that he now goes to her for coffee every morning. He runs laps on the warning track and works out at the stadium. His teammates said that seeing him running and laughing at the stadium has helped them get over what happened that night.
As a physical reminder of what happened, the scar that runs along Zombro's right side shows the extent of the injury. Although he is thoughtful about the incident, his recovery and not in an endless loop of "Whys", he doesn't get stuck in an endless loop of them. He is acutely aware of the importance of every milestone and every mark of progress for those he loves.
Zombro wears a Kevlar-padded, custom-fitted protective insert in his hat when he is at the ballpark to protect his fracture. Over the last nine years, three professional pitchers, Matt Shoemaker, Daniel Ponce de Leon, and Brandon McCarthy, were hit in the head with line drives, requiring emergency brain surgery. All three of them eventually returned to playing. Although the exact numbers are not known, it is estimated that a pitcher is struck in the head on average about twice per season at the highest levels. Recently, Oakland Athletics ace Chris Bassitt was hit in the head on Aug. 17. He underwent facial surgery.
While the uncertainty surrounding Zombro's future on the field is understandable for some, it has not changed the fact that he relied on baseball during those weeks after being undrafted. He would love to throw again and to end his playing career his way, but for now, he is content with the outcome.
"I have kind of seen it that way since I signed up as a free agent. "I'm just trying to make house money here and I'm going to keep going till I can't."
This story was contributed by Jeff Passan, a senior ESPN baseball insider, and William Weinbaum, a producer.
