Tampa Bay Rays' Hunter Bigge hit in face with 105-mph foul ball
June 20 (UPI) -- Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Hunter Bigge was hit in the face with a 105.1-mph foul ball and hospitalized, but was coherent and remained conscious, manager Kevin Cash told reporters after a loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
Bigge was hit in the top of the seventh inning of the 4-1 setback Thursday night in Tampa, Fla. The 27-year-old reliever, who is on the injured list because of a lat strain, was sitting on a bench near the front railing of the Rays dugout at George M. Steinbrenner Field when the ball struck him.
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"He's coherent," Cash said Thursday. "He's talking to the physician. He's going to have a lot of tests. ... I don't have a ton to add other than that."
The Rays are expected to provide an update on Bigge later Friday. The relief pitcher gave a thumbs-up sign to the crowd as he was taken away on a stretcher.
Orioles All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman was at the plate during the incident. Rays pitcher Connor Seabold threw in a 3-2 slider for the eighth pitch of his exchange with the Orioles catcher. Rutschman slapped the high-and-inside offering to his right, sending the ball flying toward the dugout and hitting Bigge.
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Players from both teams winced in reaction and stopped to watch Bigge taken out of the stadium on a stretcher.
"I saw it off my bat and it's really, really scar," Rutschman said. "I'm praying for him and his recovery. I hope he is doing OK. It's scary. I haven't really been a part of something like that.
"You never want to see that. I think everyone wishes for the best health for everyone in this game. You hate to see that. I hope he's doing OK."
Seabold walked Rutschman when the game resumed. Neither team scored over the final three innings.
Rutschman went 0 for 4 with a strikeout and a walk in the win. Orioles left fielder Colton Cowser went 2 for 4 with a three-run home run and a double. Orioles starter Charlie Morton allowed six hits and one run over six innings to earn his fourth win of the season.
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Bigge, a 12th-round pick by the Chicago Cubs in the 2019 MLB Draft, joined the Rays in a July 28 trade. The former Harvard pitcher logged a 2.40 ERA over his first 13 appearances this season. He posted a 2.60 ERA over 19 appearances last season, which he split with the Cubs and Rays.
"It's terrifying," Orioles manager Tony Mansolino said. "We sit in these dugouts every night and, in a lot of ways, you kinda feel like a sitting duck. It's just terrifying. We wish the best for the player that got hit."
The Rays (41-34) will host the MLB-best Detroit Tigers (48-28) at 7:05 p.m. EDT Friday in Tampa. The Orioles (32-42) will take on the New York Yankees (43-31) at 7:05 p.m. Friday in New York.
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