Denver ? Colorado Rockies first-base coach Glenallen Hill isn’t taking any chances following the death of Mike Coolbaugh from a line drive in a minor league game.

For the first time in his short coaching career, Hill donned a helmet for the Padres-Rockies series.

“It just makes sense,” he said Tuesday night.

The issue of coaches wearing helmets has been a hot topic in baseball since Coolbaugh was struck and killed by a line drive Sunday night while coaching first base for the Tulsa Drillers, the Rockies’ Double-A affiliate.

A former major-league infielder, Coolbaugh was a superb athlete with great reflexes but couldn’t get out of the way.

Nobody can when the ball is hit right at you, traveling at more than 100 mph, Hill said.

Coaching the bases for the first time this season after spending three years as a minor-league hitting instructor and Class-A manager following his 13-year major-league career, Hill was struck in his left elbow by a foul ball during spring training.

“I’ll never forget it,” Hill said. “There was nothing I could have done.”

As a player, Hill hit some balls that whizzed past the pitcher’s heads so fast they didn’t have time to react.

“I was thankful they didn’t hit them because they didn’t move,” Hill said. “They didn’t move their glove.”

Still, it wasn’t until Coolbaugh’s death that Hill decided to don a helmet.

“I had thought about it but didn’t want to put it into play,” Hill said. “Then, I heard about Mike and it brought a lot of emotions, for his family, his children, safety, how many close calls I’ve had. It just makes sense.”

Hill said he always appreciates it when batters reach first base and hand over their body armor: “I strap the stuff on.”

So does Minnesota Twins first base coach Jerry White.

“You know the guys’ shin guards? I’ll always keep it even though the bat boy will come out there and grab it. I’ll give him the gloves but I always hold on to the shin guard and put it up here (in front of his face),” White said.

Kansas City Royals manager Buddy Bell says it’s time to think about helmets.

“Unfortunately, it takes an incident like this to rethink what we do,” he said. “We haven’t had a lot of time to think about it. We shouldn’t have to think about it very long, to be honest with you.”