Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers finished his swing and turned toward home plate as soon as he heard an unmistakable sound: his foul ball ricocheting hard off the mask of Brewers backstop William Contreras .

"'Man, I’m so sorry,’" Langeliers told his counterpart during an April 19 game in Milwaukee , a hand on Contreras’ shoulder pad. “'I promise I’m trying to hit it fair.'”

Langeliers knows that pain well. In fact, he and Contreras are among the few who truly understand it.

Only those who have spent sufficient time behind the plate can say from experience they know what it’s like to deal with foul tips, and it’s unsurprisingly not a welcome feeling.

“You’re just getting blindsided, and it’s terrible,” Giants catcher Sam Huff said.

It’s hardly a shock that foul tips received

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