Rays lefty David Price had to leave yesterday's split-squad start after just two innings, but he later owned up to what had happened:
"I was just drying my head off in between innings,'' he said. "It's happened to me two times before. The towel just catches the back of my head and it pulls my neck forward. I just felt it a little bit in back of my neck and just wanted to be cautious with it. ... It's spasms, there's a little pop and it just spasms up and gets a little tight.''
Strange, no? But that's not even the most bizarre part: Price also admitted he had done the same thing last spring, then again in the fall. Luckily for Price, the spasms usually last no more than two or three days, so he should be OK to make his next scheduled start. But a side session might be in order to work on his mechanics.
Price leaves with "minor neck spasm" - from toweling himself off too hard [Tampa Bay Times]