Back to the St Louis Cardinals Newsfeed

Poncedeleon back after life-threatening scare

Cardinals right-hander K's 2 in 1 1/3-inning return following recovery from fractured skull

Poncedeleon whiffs Bregman

JUPITER, Fla. -- The sound sent the stadium silent and Daniel Poncedeleon to the ground. Bat to ball, then ball to bone, the stuff of baseball nightmares.

Immobile on the dirt, Poncedeleon's body locked. He knew he'd been hit. The ball always seemed to find him. A year earlier, during his first Spring Training, a comebacker caught him on the foot. Later, he'd blocked a would-be base hit with his chest. The next spring, David Ortiz blasted a line drive off his butt.