Click to watch Shern-Min Chow's 11 News report

It is a ritual of spring, baseball. Brad Patt is the father of two sons who he has coached for years.

He’s also seen glory turn to injury in a heartbeat from both sides of the baseline.

Dr. Patt is also board certified as an ear, nose and throat specialist and a plastic surgeon. One of his patients was 14-year-old Edward Banner.   

“His first visit, he actually had the laces of the ball imprinted on his cheek,” said Patt.

“(The ball) it went off inside of my bat and fouled-off right in my eye,” said Banner, who ended up with three separate fractures in his face.

The first baseman’s injury is hardly unusual. 

“(The) busiest time of year? Springtime with all the sports injuries,” said Patt.

And baseball injuries lead the way he said.

“I've seen up to three in a day,” said Patt.

Adolescents can throw a ball at 50-to-60- miles an hour, and that's a ball coming at you pretty fast.

The problems? Youngsters not paying attention, the sun in their eyes, a line drive. And batters feel protective face masks make them look too young.

“No one really wears them,” said Banner.

Proper equipment though can reduce injuries by a third.

Should a player be hit by the ball, even if that player looks all right and X-rays show no broken bones, Patt suggests a physical exam.

“There's cartilages in the nose that can be displaced that do need to be fixed because that can cause long term nasal obstructer and obviously a crooked nose,” said Patt.

About half of broken noses need correction, the other half will heal properly on their own he said.