Former MLB No. 1 Pick Suffers Severe Concussion, Broken Vertebrae After Falling 25 Feet From Deer Stand
Ben McDonald, a former No. 1 overall draft pick, has no memory of the event
Former MLB pitcher and current Baltimore Orioles broadcaster Ben McDonald is lucky to be alive after falling more than 25 feet from a deer stand this week.
According to an X post from the O's 1989 No. 1 overall draft pick, McDonald suffered a "severe concussion" and "two cracked vertebrae," but vowed to return to the team's broadcast booth eventually.
McDonald Has No Recollection Of What Happened
"This is what a severe concussion looks like and sounds like (I still don’t remember anything). Apparently I fell out of a deer stand 25 feet up yesterday morning….I’m fine and appreciate everyone checking on me. Very lucky….concussion and 2 cracked vertebrae….I’ll be back in #Birdland soon calling Orioles games! Thank you for all ur thoughts and prayers and thank you to the Doctors! See y'all soon!" the 57-year-old tweeted.
McDonald also included a video of him in the emergency room looking completely out of it. A quick look at his reactions and eyes shows he has completely no memory of his fall.
A deer stand is an elevated platform and an enclosure that allows hunters better visibility and range for hunting. It's unclear exactly how McDonald fell from the stand.
During Friday night's Orioles-Rays broadcast, fellow MASN broadcasters Ben Wagner and Jim Palmer gave an update on McDonald's condition and wished him a speedy recovery.
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"I talked to him today, and he goes, ‘Well I don’t remember the fall. He said, ‘I’ve been doing this for 35 years and I never fell," Wagner explained during the Orioles broadcast. "[McDonald] said a lot of the people that he was with don’t like to go up 25 feet. So I think Ben’s going to join them now."
OutKick has previously covered other stories about McDonald's hunting adventures, including when he killed a huge buck!
One Oriole fan tweeted that they are going to have to bubble wrap McDonald the next time he's at the stadium, to which the former pitcher responded with a laughing emoji.
Best wishes, Ben. And maybe next time let's keep our feet on the ground.
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