Where The Story Turns
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell made an unusual bit of baseball history Tuesday, though perhaps not the sort he'd celebrate. During an 8-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies, Adell accidentally helped a ball clear the wall at Angel Stadium — with his own head.
Rookie Colorado first baseman TJ Rumfield hit a drive to deep right center in the fourth inning, with the Rockies already up 7-0. The ball sailed toward the outfield grass where Adell was stationed. It struck the top of his glove, glanced off his skull, and bounced over the fence for a home run.
The record does not need much decoration; it already does the talking.
The Stakes In Plain Sight
The sequence drew immediate comparison to a similar freakish moment involving Jose Canseco, whose head redirected a Carlos Martinez bat in 1993 while playing for the Texas Rangers. The ball struck Canseco's head and cleared the fence, becoming one of just 25 home runs Martinez hit across his MLB career.
A few details differ. Canseco's deflection came in a one-run loss to Cleveland and directly influenced the game's outcome. Adell's version unfolded in a lopsided defeat, with the outcome already decided. Visually, the 1993 version offered cleaner theater — the ball vanished cleanly after contacting Canseco's head. Adell's version prompted brief confusion about whether the ball was still in play as it bounced back onto the field.
The Question Left Open
Where Adell's moment wins in physics: a skull contains 22 bones and represents a far harder surface than a glove. The additional energy transferred pushed the ball upward and forward, just enough to clear the yellow line. A softer surface would have absorbed more impact.
Adell escaped serious injury. Canseco was not as fortunate — three days after his head-turned-home-run, he injured his elbow pitching in a blowout loss to the Boston Red Sox. That injury eventually required Tommy John surgery.