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Upon learning of the minor league coach's death, Dean Treanor thought of their many conversations at third - the opposing former player and manager often separated by a few feet.

Treanor thought of Mike Coolbaugh's two children, and one on the way - their father, 35, killed late Sunday night by a foul ball as he coached first base for the Double-A Tulsa Drillers.

He thought of the ball that whistled near his head earlier this season in Iowa, a blur off the bat of Valentino Pascucci.

"It's just tragic," said Treanor before Albuquerque's 6-5 loss to New Orleans on Monday. "Actually, I'm surprised that it doesn't happen more."

Still, Treanor and the other players and coaches don't expect any professional baseball power brokers to implement extra safety measures.

As callous as it may sound at the moment, they say such a rule change isn't needed.

"It's horrible," said Isotopes third baseman Scott Seabol, who played against Coolbaugh often and has coached in the first base box several times in his career. "But it's just a freakish thing."

According to multiple baseball history Web sites and the New York Times, only one modern era major league player has been killed in a game. In 1920, a pitch struck Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians in the head. He died hours later.

No players or coaches interviewed had heard of any other occurrence at the professional level.

That doesn't mean the base coaches don't worry about their safety.

"I think about it every night," said New Orleans manager Ken Oberkfell, who, like Treanor, mans the third base box. "Even before (Coolbaugh's death)."

Coaches in the third base box are more exposed with a runner on second. Faced with that situation Monday night, Treanor positioned himself at the end of the box closest to home plate, so he would know how to instruct the runner on a hit ball. Treanor's shoulders were square with second base. His glance shifted between home base and second base.

As he often does, Chris Ashby occupied the first base box for two innings Monday, one of four Isotopes to share the duty. In all his years of experience, Ashby said he has never been hit by a stray ball.

"Now I'm a lot more cautious up there," said Ashby, who played with Coolbaugh in Columbus for the 1999 season. "I will be."

Added Chad Hermansen, another frequent first base coach: "I'm sure that'll be in the back of anybody's mind who goes down there."

Ashby and Treanor said first base coaches are at most risk with runners on first and second. In that situation, the coach eyes the first baseman, second baseman and pitcher. He has to try to prevent a sneaky first baseman from slipping behind the runner to pick the runner off, so the coach will often turn away from the plate.

A Drillers runner was on first when the deadly play occurred.

Many memories of Coolbaugh swirled around Ashby's head Monday.

"We just talked last year when he was in Omaha about how he was ready to stop playing," Ashby said. "He retired this year."

After a long career spent mostly bouncing around the minors, Coolbaugh joined the Drillers as a coach July 3. His wife Amanda told the Associated Press that he did it because his two young boys wanted to see him on the field.

"A lot of things go through your head," Oberkfell said. "You feel bad for everybody."

When Isotopes infielder Andrew Beattie overheard Hermansen talking about the incident, he put down his pen and lifted his head from the sudoku puzzle in front of him.

"Nobody's talking about the kid that hit it," Beattie said, referring to Drillers designated hitter Tino Sanchez. "I wonder how he feels."

Fortunately, if history is any indication, it could be decades before anybody else has to know first hand.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.