Shoemaker steps on mound for 1st time since brain surgery

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Matt Shoemaker has returned to the mound at Angel Stadium for the first time since a line drive struck him in the head, requiring emergency surgery to stop bleeding in his brain.

In an interview with "Good Morning America" that aired Thursday, Shoemaker revealed a surgeon told him it was very possible the treatment required for his hematoma and fractured skull could have killed him.

"After everything was OK, he said with epidural (and) the kind of the bleed that I had, you literally live or die," Shoemaker admitted.

Now with a titanium plate in his head, Shoemaker expects to return for the 2017 season while sporting protective headgear, which MLB is supporting several companies in developing.

"I am 100 percent trying all these options in the offseason to see comfort, fit, all that stuff," he said. "If it feels and works like a baseball hat, I'd definitely be willing to wear it."

Shoemaker was hit in the head Sept. 4 by a line drive off the bat of Seattle Mariners infielder Kyle Seager.