Former Ranger Drew Robinson Hits First HR After Losing Eye
Hitting a baseball is inarguably one of the very hardest things to do in all of sports, even if you have two eyes. Doing it with one eye? That seems impossible.
Not for Drew Robinson.
On Wednesday night, the former Texas Rangers outfielder lined a solo home run to extend the Sacramento Rivers Cats' lead to 4-1 in the top of the second inning. Robinson finished the night 2-for-3 with the homer, a double, and a walk.
Nearly 13 months ago, Robinson tried to take his own life. He remarkably survived, though four surgeries could not salvage his right eye — the one that's closest to the pitcher as a left-handed hitter.
"Chills," Robinson tweeted. "Tears of every emotion in the book while rounding the bases. #BiggerThanMe #BiggerThanBaseball"
The Rangers drafted Robinson in the fourth round of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft. It took Robinson nearly seven seasons to get to the big leagues, with his best minor league season coming in 2015, splitting time between Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock. While he hit just .235, he led the Texas League in home runs with 21, plus drove in 66 runs and stole 16 bases combined with the two teams. MiLB.com named him an Organization All-Star in 2015.
Robinson's comeback to baseball is one of the game's most remarkable stories in quite some time; one like any other. If he makes it to the big leagues at some point, he would be the first player missing an eye to play in MLB since Whammy Douglas did so for Pittsburgh in 1957.
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