Baseball: Birmingham player breaks nose in dog pile

Celebrating with a dog pile at the end of a championship baseball game is part of tradition, and it also can produce injuries.

Birmingham backup pitcher Michael Jellinek broke his nose during the Patriots’ celebration on Saturday at Dodger Stadium, Coach Matt Mowry said.

Jellinek came out of the dugout and ended up near the bottom of the pile. Birmingham outfielders were doing swan dives at the end.

“No, we did not practice the dog pile,” Mowry said.

Jellinek wasn’t the only player needing medical attention. First baseman Audelio Camacho ended up getting 10 stitches after suffering a gash above his eye in the seventh inning trying to catch a foul ball down the right-field line.

Mowry also revealed that he had been wearing the opposing team’s colors before each playoff game. He found a John Elway jersey to represent Chatsworth’s orange color.