Former MLB pitcher Kevin Lomon spent years facing hitters from the mound, but a recent road trip with his high school baseball team reportedly put him in a far more dangerous confrontation.
Lomon, 54, now coaches baseball at Cameron High School in Oklahoma after a professional career that included 12 MLB appearances with the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves in 1995 and 1996.
Earlier this month, Lomon was staying at a hotel in Shawnee, Oklahoma, with 13 high school players when he received an alarming call from one of them.
“It was one of my kids saying that someone just pulled a knife on him,” Lomon told reporters. “I’m responsible for 13 high school boys… they know I’ll fight for them.”
A Knife in the Hotel Hallway
According to a police report, one of the players encountered Christopher Stevens in a hotel hallway. Stevens was accused of producing a knife and approaching the student.
Lomon quickly became involved. He reportedly instructed his players to get back inside their rooms and call police while Stevens remained near the hotel elevators with the knife.
With the players out of the immediate confrontation, Lomon reportedly ordered Stevens to drop the weapon. Stevens allegedly did not comply and instead continued moving toward the former pitcher.
“I had to react,” Lomon said. “And I didn’t have much time to think about it.”
Lomon Allegedly Takes Stevens to the Ground
What followed was a physical struggle. Lomon allegedly punched Stevens several times before getting him onto the ground and pinning him there. He reportedly kept Stevens restrained until law enforcement arrived.
Stevens was reportedly arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and public intoxication.
Despite the potentially dangerous circumstances and his decision to physically confront an allegedly armed man, Lomon rejected the idea that his actions made him a hero.
“I don’t think I’m a hero,” he told reporters. “I would do it again; most people and most coaches would do the same thing.”
A Lesson That Had Nothing to Do With Baseball
For Lomon, the incident also offered a lesson that went well beyond baseball. His players may spend their high school seasons worrying about hits, averages, wins and losses, but their coach said those numbers eventually fade in importance.
“Nobody is really going to care what batting average is five years from now; they’re going to care what kind of person you are,” Lomon said.
It was an unusually dangerous way to deliver that message. Instead of giving his players a speech in the dugout or after practice, Lomon reportedly put it into action in a hotel hallway, ordering his team to safety and confronting the threat himself.
