N.Y. Mets, MLB sued over broken bat injury

James Falzon, 50, was hit by pieces of a bat swung by Luis Castillo at a game three years ago, and now he's suing the second baseman -- and the player who lent him the bat, the New York Post reported Monday.

Falzon is suing Castillo, teammate Ramon Castro, whose bat it was, the Mets, Major League Baseball and the bat's maker, Rawlings, for the incident that left him bloodied and required metal plates in his head.

Falzon's lawyer said Castro's bat was made out of maple, which can shatter more dramatically and dangerously than traditional ash bats.

"This was something that didn't have to happen," Williams Maniatis said.

Maple bats became popular after Barry Bonds used them to hit 73 home runs in 2001, but they're more dangerous than traditional ash bats -- something both Rawlings and MLB knew, the suit says.

Representatives for MLB and Rawlings declined comment. A spokesman for the Mets said, "We generally don't comment on these types of matters."

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