In August 2007, a man was sitting in the second row of Shea Stadium watching the New York Mets blow another promising season when he was struck in the face by the barrel of a shattered bat. He suffered multiple injuries including a shattered jaw as a result. Now, almost three years to the day, he’s filed suit against the Mets, Major League Baseball, players Luis Castillo and Ramon Castro and the bat manufacturer.

Jarden Corp., parent company of bat maker Rawlings, is named in the suit for manufacturing maple bats — as opposed to traditional ash bats — that shatter easily and become “dangerous projectiles.”

Castillo was the player at bat during the incident. The shattered bat actually belonged to Castro, which explains why he was named in the lawsuit.

In 2008, as the number of shattered bats began to increase, Major League Baseball found that maple bats are three times more likely to shatter than bats made of ash.

Mets Fan Sues Team, Players After Broken Bat Shatters Face [WPIX]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.