Q: Since the terrible accident to the Braves’ Jason Heyward, there has been much discussion about pitchers hitting batters. I remember a line drive that hit pitcher Herb Score in the eye. Who was the batter? Was it a career ending injury?
—Kathy McDonough, Peachtree Corners
A: Gil McDougald, who played for the New York Yankees, hit Score, a 23-year-old left-handed pitcher with the Cleveland Indians, in the head with a line drive on May 7, 1957. The ball broke facial bones and injured Score's right eye. Score, who had led the American League in strikeouts in 1955 and '56 – his first two years in the majors — returned in 1958, but no longer was successful. Some believe he was scared of being hit again, but he blamed arm injuries for his ineffectiveness. Score won 36 games in his first two years, but only 17 games in the five following seasons before retiring at 28 in 1962.
Q: I recently read that some stocks on the NYSE have four-letter ticker symbols. Didn’t that used to apply only to NASDAQ stocks? I thought NYSE stocks had one-, two- or three-letter symbols. What led to the change and when?
—Lance DeLoach, Thomaston
A: The move, which was first permitted in May 2009, was made to help companies with branding efforts, according to a Wall Street Journal article from that month. Several corporations moved to a four-letter symbol in the first month. "It helps our customers and our dealers better identify with our stock," Agco's Greg Peterson said in the article.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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