Giants minor leaguer Drew Robinson lost his right eye after a self-inflicted gunshot wound in April 2020.
A real Hollywood moment
The most remarkable story of the 2021 baseball season is unfolding in Triple A.
Drew Robinson, a 29-year-old utilityman in the Giants’ system, is attempting to make it back to the major leagues 13 months after losing his right eye in a suicide attempt.
On April 16, 2020, Robinson attempted suicide with a handgun. The bullet tore apart his right eye, fractured his sinus and exited below his left eye. He waited 20 hours before calling 911. His doctors agree that the fact he survived is nothing short of a miracle.
Robinson shared his story with ESPN’s Jeff Passan for an article and E:60 segment published in February, explaining how the experience has altered his life. “I’m meant to be alive,” he recalled telling his brother repeatedly from his hospital bed.
In October, the Giants offered him a nonguaranteed contract. Last week, he made the Opening Day roster for the Sacramento River Cats, the Giants’ Triple A affiliate. And on Tuesday night, he hit a home run.
Cover one of your eyes and imagine trying to hit a baseball traveling at 90 mph. It seems impossible. But the surgeon who removed Robinson’s damaged eye explained to Passan that the missing eye might not be as big of an impediment as it seems, because hitters decide whether to swing at a pitch when it’s about 45 feet from the plate, outside the range at which Robinson’s depth perception might be affected.
Robinson, who was batting eighth in the lineup, was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and a strikeout.
On top of everything else, the dinger came on the road in Las Vegas, Robinson’s hometown.
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