5 questions with J.P. Howell

A few of the Rays pitchers discussed what happened to David Price during Wednesday's game against the Red Sox. The lefty is not expected to miss a start after being struck on the right hand with the barrel of a broken bat. Still, the Rays knew it could have been worse. Howell shared his thoughts.

Have you ever been hit by a broken bat?

I've been hit, but it was a bouncer that hit off my shin in '06. I remember it, because you think that it's going to stab you. When you're out there you don't really think of it, but when it happens, you stop and go, "Wow."

Do you think about getting hit by a broken bat?

No, but when you see it, you think about it for a day. That's scary. You hate to see a teammate go through that, because it could have hit him in the face.

Do you think maple bats should be banned?

If you break the bat it slows the ball down, but now you have to worry about the bat flying at you. Keep breaking them. I'll take the chances, but when you see that thing with Price, it makes you think. That was pretty scary.

How close have you come to getting hit by a line drive?

I remember Josh Hamilton hit one right back at me. I remember the crowd didn't even cheer. It was a laser beam. It came at me and I caught it. The crowd couldn't even believe I was still there. I remember I can see the seams, I can see the horseshoes of the seams. It was in slow motion, but not (in slow motion). I caught it. I swear, it had to be 105 (mph) off the bat. I fell on my back. I didn't even know what happened. It was pretty intense.

What's it feel like when a line drive buzzes past your head?

That's tough. You know it's part of the game, but you don't want it to happen. For me, I know what pitches it happens the most on. For me, it's a lefty, fastballs away. Those odds go up. I don't know what it is, but it's happened three or four times to a lefty when I threw a fastball away.

Roger Mooney