Javy Guerra Took A Line Drive To The Face, Stayed In The Game, Blew The Save

Dodgers closer Javy Guerra blew his second save of the season last night against the Atlanta Braves after a line drive rocketed off his jaw in the ninth inning. At the time, there was one on and one out; manager Don Mattingly left the righty in the game after Guerra assured him that he was fine, only to see Guerra give up three more hits and turn the 2-1 lead into a 4-2 loss.

While Guerra passed concussion tests and will remain the Dodgers' closer, it's pretty clear he wasn't quite right after being hit in the face. It comes only a day after a clearly-concussed Gerard Pique was allowed to stay in a Champions League semi-final match for several minutes after his skull ricocheted off the ground. With most of the focus on concussion awareness (and lawsuits) targeting the NFL and NHL, it's worth considering those aren't the only sports struggling with the balance between competitive drive and possible neurological trauma.