BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Keough Describes Being Hit by Drive

His first reaction was to chide himself for leaving the bullpen to sit in the dugout. Not until he felt excruciating pain that left him “seconds from lights out” did Angel pitcher Matt Keough fear he had been seriously hurt by the line drive that struck him in the head March 16 while he awaited his turn to pitch against the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium.

Keough, who underwent brain surgery soon after the blow, is recuperating at his Coto de Caza home. He will undergo a brain scan next week to determine his progress, and it is expected that he will be able to resume playing in two months.

In a phone conversation Friday, Keough recalled watching teammate Don Robinson pitch to leadoff hitter John Patterson. Keough had brought his glove with him to the bench but wasn’t wearing it when Patterson lined the ball back.

“I put both my hands up, and the ball actually touched my thumb and index finger,” he said. “It was like a big, loud sound goes off in your head. Not like a siren, but a hum, and my feet and hands were tingling and numb. I started rolling forward . . .

“Laying there, it goes through your head, all the running you’ve done, the progress you’ve made. I was out there pitching not just to pitch, but to get people out. All of that was stripped away. Now I have to live with lines like, ‘You’re lucky to be alive,’ and I know it’s true, but it doesn’t relieve the frustration of the fact you’ve taken a year out of your life to get back to doing what you love to do, and you have it all taken away in an instant.”

He added: “You don’t really know how lucky you are and how many friends you have until you nearly die.”

In his first rough outing, Mark Langston gave up six walks and threw two wild pitches as the Oakland Athletics beat the Angels, 7-4, in Palm Springs.

“I didn’t have my fastball where I wanted it, though it came back later,” said Langston, who will start the Angels’ opener April 7. “I threw some good breaking balls and changeups, and I felt pretty good. I’m ready to go.”