Surgery doesn't keep Miner out of lineup

PALMER -- The Mat-Su Miners are a tough bunch of players.

They play 54 games in 50 days, despite fatigue and nagging injuries, rain or shine.

Not even surgery can prevent at least one Miner from getting to the ballpark.

Mat-Su centerfielder Jeff Butts had emergency dental surgery late Saturday night, after he was accidentally hit in the face with a bat just prior to batting practice and suffered a broken tooth.

"It was one of those things, an accident," Butts said. "It could have been a lot worse."

Mat-Su general manager Pete Christopher contacted Dr. Jody Sessom, a Palmer dentist, after Butts was injured.

"He's our family dentist," Christopher said. "We called him at 7 p.m. on a Saturday night and he said come in after the game."

Since Sessom was the only one in his office, the doctor asked Christopher to help out with the procedure.

"He asked me if I was not queasy," Christopher said. "I told him I was a volunteer fireman and a cop, so I am not queasy. He made me scrub up."

Christopher said that he assisted Sessom by holding the suction tool during the procedure.

"He is mister do it all," Butts said.

Sessom yanked the broken tooth.

Butts was not only in the lineup for the Miners doubleheader against the Alaska Goldpanners the following day, but started for Mat-Su the night of the injury.

Butts' host family had to make a Wal-Mart run prior to Saturday's game to get a mouth piece in order for Butts to be allowed to play.

"He's a tough kid," Christopher said.

Butts notched a pair of hits in Mat-Su's 2-1 win on Saturday and had a key RBI triple in the Miners' 2-0 win on Sunday.

Oddly enough, that was not Christopher's only trip to a doctor's office on Saturday.

Christopher also had to take Mat-Su infielder Mike Kelly to the emergency room.

While stretching out to make a play at first base on Saturday, a Panner runner hit Kelly underneath the arm with his helmet as he crossed the bag at first base.

Kelly was diagnosed with an arm strain and could be out for a week. According to the Miners it is at Kelly's discretion.

The Miner injuries come less than a week after Mat-Su catcher Matthew Inouye broke his index finger.

Inouye suffered the injury while playing behind the plate against the Anchorage Bucs on Wednesday.

Inouye stuck out his glove to catch a pitch and a Buc hitter swung and nailed Inouye with the bat.

The University of Hawaii prospect was given a splint and played both ends of Sunday's doubleheader at first base.

Inouye has played first base, second base, catcher and right field for the Miners this season.