Credit Kevin Lomon with his first career save.
The former Mets and Braves pitcher who now serves as a high school baseball coach in Oklahoma allegedly fended off a man with a knife who arrived at his team’s hotel earlier this month.
No one was injured, but a man was arrested.
“I don’t think I’m a hero,” Lomon told KFDM. “I just think I would do it again, I think a lot of coaches — most coaches or most people I know would be do the same.”
Lomon, 54, and Cameron High School took up residence at a hotel in Shawnee, Okla., on Aug. 16 — per KFDM — when he received a call around 9 p.m. about a dangerous situation.
The police report stated one of the players allegedly saw Christopher Stevens in the hallway and the man pulled out a knife and opened the blade before walking toward the player, according to 5newsoline.
“It was one of my kids saying that someone just pulled a knife on him,” Lomon said. “I’m responsible for 13 high school boys.”
Lomon purportedly relayed to his players to return to their rooms and call the police, and KFDM reported that the police report stated that Christopher Stevens stood by the elevator with a knife.
The former MLBer claims he told Stevens to put the knife down but he kept approaching him.
“I had to react,” Lomon told the outlet, “and I didn’t have much time to think about it.”
The police report stated that Lomon punched Stevens several times before pinning him to the ground until police arrived, per KFDM.
Police reportedly found two knives, and Stevens was arrested on complaints of assault with a deadly weapon and public intoxication, per Pottawatomie County court records.
Lomon has since hired an attorney.
Said Lomon: “I think this situation might be at another level where they know I’ll fight for them.”
Lomon appeared in 12 games across the 1995 and 1996 seasons, six each with the Mets and Braves.
He pitched for the Mets from April-May 1995, posting a 6.75 ERA across 9 1/3 innings.
Lomon surrendered 17 hits and struck out six batters in that stretch.
For his career, Lomon posted a 5.94 ERA spanning 16 2/3 innings.
