About 35 or 40 years ago we had a really good pitcher named Nelson Arieta that was hit in the face with a line drive. I was there that night. Broke his jaw all to pieces. After he recovered which I think was the following year he tried to pitch again and absolutely could not throw strikes. They tried to let him work through it in mid week games but he flinched every time he released the ball. Never did get past it. It was a shame as he was a real MLB prospect that just a really bad break.
I remember that, was very sad. Nelson was all the hype too, then that happened. I had a friend in the early 90’s that made it to Padres, he ate a line drive with his face too. Right at the beginning of his career. He came back and did well enough to stay in the league another year or so, but never had the same stuff again. Had another friend somehow foul one off his face. The most blood I’d ever seen come out of a nose. The trainer stuffed each nostril with a tampon, and he finished the at-bat and the game in center with a broke nose. I saw an upper 90’s fastball from a 6’ 9” closer in the Mets org hit a skinny shortstop from South Carolina right in the left side of his body. The next day his entire left side of his torso was purple with a baseball size welp where it hit him. Not related, but had a friend running a fly down in centerfield one night. He went down hard. The female trainer discovered he twisted a nut, she had to straighten it out in his sac for him...that was odd...remember fence drills one day and they missed a nail head. It ripped a buddies arm all the way up from above elbow to shoulder... Before going to the ER, he turned the shower floors red...that’s enough tho..