Hector Gomez avoids injury after dangerous head-first dive into stands

On Wednesday afternoon, Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Hector Gomez channeled Derek Jeter — purposely or otherwise — circa the 2004 ALCS with an awkward and potentially dangerous head-first dive into the stands at Busch Stadium while attempting to catch a foul ball.

Unfortunately, the results were not quite as glorious as Jeter's career-defining dive turned out to be. Though Gomez walked away without a scratch on his chin, he also walked away without the baseball and kept walking to Milwaukee's clubhouse for a precautionary check up, according to the Brewers.

After the game, Brewers reporters noted a bump on Gomez's head, which apparently is not a concern.

Upon several looks, it appears that Gomez may have lost track of how close the wall was along the left field line. The dirt warning track only brings so much awareness to a player who's focused solely on the baseball, and for Gomez the realization came too late. Rather than bracing his fall against the wall, he landed with his knee and catapulted himself into the stands head and neck first instead.

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It was an admirable effort even without the spill into the stands. No one will dispute that. But Gomez is very fortunate he didn't sustain a serious injury or even injure a fan in the process.

Previous to the injury Gomez was enjoying a good day in a rare start at the hot corner. He left the game with a RBI double and a walk in three plate appearances.

As it turned out, the game was basically decided in the first inning as St. Louis charged out to a five-run lead. They held on for the 7-4 victory, which dropped Milwaukee to a league-worst 18-36.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813