Minor Leaguers leap into action to help save man's life before game

A ballplayer's pregame routine usually doesn't vary much: There's some batting practice, maybe some fielding work, the pregame meal or nap. But last Wednesday, Aug. 7, three members of the Lake Country DockHounds -- a team in the American Association, an MLB Partner League -- had to do something else before their game against the Sioux Falls Canaries:

They had to save a life.

That day, shortstop Demetrius Sims, outfielder and Czech Republic national team star Marek Chlup and team broadcaster Dominic Stearn had just finished eating lunch together and were walking through Falls Park. As they walked the path to reach the iconic waterfall that gave the city its name, they heard a crash about 50 feet behind them.

The trio turned and sprinted over, finding a pedestrian that had been struck and an elderly man who had flipped over his bicycle's handlebars, bashing his head against one of the rocks, blood pooling beneath him.

"Immediately, we stopped and rushed to the scene just to check on the guy," Sims told MLB.com. "He was unconscious and the lady was pretty shaken up, just by the whole situation."

Chlup took off, sprinting toward town in search of bandages and ice packs -- anything to help.

"Marek, just without questioning it, without saying what he was doing, he just bolted, he just ran, and he came back a couple minutes later," Stearn noted. "I mean, these guys are great athletes, but Marek's wearing a nice designer shirt, he's wearing some dress shorts, he's wearing sneakers, he's wearing casual sunglasses. A quarter of a mile is normally a cakewalk for these guys, but it's not like he's stretched or he was wearing his athletic clothing. He just went and did it. He wasn't concerned about potentially hurting himself."

“If you see a person on the ground with their head bleeding, you’re going to want to help,” Chlup told the DockHounds website. “Our first reaction was to run over there, and once I realized what was needed, I kept running for help.”

Sims stayed with the two injured people, helping to apply pressure to the wound and keeping the man awake once he returned to consciousness. Stearn walked back to the end of the road to flag down the ambulance and direct them into the park.

Though he never had any formal CPR or lifesaving training, Sims had no fear about jumping into the situation.

"It's definitely just instincts. Anyone who is in need in that situation, I want to be there to help because I know if that was me, I would want assistance from whomever is available," Sims said. "There's no thought process behind that, really. I just want to help the guy. I want to help this person to make sure he's all right."

Once the paramedics arrived, they took over from the ballplayers, helping to stabilize the man before taking him to the hospital. Unfortunately, all three never learned the man's name or heard any update, though are hopeful from their last interaction with the EMTs that he's doing well.

"We spoke with him briefly, and then [the paramedics] were just thanking us for being there and helping out, but we didn't get his name," Sims said. "Hopefully he's doing all right, and he's with family and loved ones."

That's likely where the story would have ended, with the good samaritans heading to the ballpark to prepare for the game, content for their heroics to go unnoticed. But that night, Stearn made sure to highlight the players' quick thinking and action during the broadcast that night against the Sioux Falls Canaries.

"I know just from being around these guys that they're great dudes and they care deeply about the people that they know and also about the communities, just seeing the way they interact with other people," Stearn said. "I wasn't surprised. They're always very gracious to the fans. They always say thank you. They always say hi. You know, it's the little things that really show people's character. And then the fact that there wasn't a hesitation, it was, 'Hey, we need to go help. And then that Demetrius was really hands on with the gentleman."

“You would think that any of us would come across a situation like that and want to help, but that isn’t always the case,” DockHounds manager Ken Huckaby said. “It made me proud to see three young men in our organization step up and assist someone in need.”

"We have to do whatever we can to take care of these communities, so that way they can take care of us and allow us to do what we love to do most," Stearn said. "I think that was the coolest part, reflecting on that and then seeing everyone be so complimentary to us. It's been cool, but I generally think that most people put in the position that we were in would go and at least try to help."