Former Braves Pitcher Punches, Pins Knife-Wielding Man To Protect Players, Per Report

ATLANTA, GA - JULY 15: The Atlanta Braves logo on a hat against the Chicago White Sox on July 15, 2023 at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/Getty Images)

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The Atlanta Braves have employed countless players throughout their long history, from Hall of Fame stars to short-term contributors whose careers in Atlanta were measured in only a handful of appearances.

Kevin Lomon belongs in the latter category, pitching briefly for the Braves in 1996 during a major league career that ultimately lasted just 12 games. Lomon made six relief appearances for Atlanta that season, working seven-and-one-third innings with a 4.91 ERA. He allowed seven hits and three walks while striking out one batter, with his final major league appearance coming on Sept. 28, 1996.

Overall, Lomon pitched 16 2/3 innings, surrendering 24 hits and eight walks while recording seven strikeouts in his career. But nearly three decades later, he has made headlines for a heroic reaction to a violent threat.

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Lomon is now the head baseball coach at Cameron High School in southeastern Oklahoma. Earlier this month, he was traveling with 13 players for a baseball game in Shawnee when an alarming situation unfolded at the team's hotel.

“An Oklahoma high school baseball coach says he didn’t have much time to think when one of his players called from a hotel room saying a man had pulled a knife,” Taylor Howard reported for 5 CBS News.

Lomon said that one of his players called him around 9 p.m. after encountering a man in the hotel hallway. The player reported that the man had opened a knife and moved toward him before retreating into his room.

Lomon instructed his players to get inside their rooms and called 911. He then went into the hallway himself.

The police report indicated that Lomon encountered the man near the elevators with an open knife. The man allegedly moved toward Lomon, who punched him several times before holding him on the ground until police arrived.

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Former Atlanta Braves Pitcher Refuses To Call Himself A Hero

The confrontation ended without physical injuries being reported among Lomon or his players. Police reportedly recovered two knives, while Stevens was arrested on complaints of assault with a deadly weapon and public intoxication, according to Howard.

For Lomon, the decision was less about bravery than responsibility.

“I don’t think I’m a hero,” Lomon said, per Howard. “I just think I would do it again.”

That mindset reflects the role he has embraced long after his brief MLB career ended. As a coach responsible for 13 young players on the road, Lomon viewed protecting them as part of his job.

His former life as a Braves pitcher may have lasted only part of one season, but nearly 30 years later, Lomon found himself facing another high-pressure situation — this time with his young team depending on him to keep them safe.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

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