Somewhere in Delino DeShields Jr.’s grotesquely misshapen face, he’s probably smiling.
On Friday night, the Astros prospect — the son of Delino DeShields, who played for five teams in a 13-year major league career — was hit in the right side of the face by a 90-mph fastball, causing it to balloon up.
Despite being in excruciating pain, DeShields Jr. hasn’t cursed his fate.
“I wasn’t scared at all,” he told FOXSports.com in an email conversation. “Everything happens for a reason, as silly as that may sound considering I got a ball to my face. But at the end of the day, I’m blessed and I know that God has something in store for me.”
DeShields Jr.’s teammates, after initially expressing concern and well-wishes for his recovery, soon took a jocular tone once he posted a photo on Instagram of his swollen face.
“Once they saw the picture of me with my thumbs up and saw I was in good spirits, they knew it was OK to be funny with it,” he said. “So I heard that I looked like Professor Klump from ‘The Nutty Professor’ and I also got that I looked like a Ninja Turtle, so those made me laugh.”
DeShields Jr. had no trouble putting his plight in perspective.
“I do have a good sense of humor about it because it could be a lot worse and I’m not dead,” he said. “I’m still able to enjoy what life has to offer and that’s always something to be happy about.
“It’s funny you ask this because the first time I laughed was actually when I got hit and was on the ground. As soon as I gained consciousness, the first thing I felt for were my teeth. If anyone knows me, they know how much I love my teeth and my smile. It’s my money maker. Hahaha.
“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,’ and we all chuckled a little bit while I was on the ground because who would be concerned about their teeth after they just got squared up in the face with a fastball, so that was pretty funny.
“I’m already looking back at this and still making jokes and laughing about it.”
There is no definite timetable for DeShields Jr.’s return, but he said that he will take his setback in stride.
“I don’t know when I’ll be back on the field again,” he said. “I could’ve played the day after if I were allowed. That’s how competitive I am, but obviously this is a sign that I need to just take a breather and just take some time off. I’m hoping that it’s nothing longer than a month.”