Guardians designated hitter David Fry was struck in the face by a pitch and was carted off the field on Tuesday in Cleveland.
With runners on first and third in the sixth inning, Fry squared to bunt against Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. The 99-mph pitch caught Fry in the face, and he went to the ground while two Cleveland trainers rushed to help him.
Skubal threw down his hat and glove in horror, and other players reacted similarly as Guardians medical personnel came to check on Fry.
After a delay, Fry got to his feet on his own, then got on a cart that drove him away.
The umpires ruled the pitch a foul ball, leaving the count at 2-2. George Valera came in to pinch-hit, and Skubal’s next delivery was a wild pitch that tied the game 2-2. After Valera completed a strikeout that officially was charged to Fry, a Skubal balk and a Gabriel Arias RBI groundout led to Cleveland scoring the go-ahead run.
The Guardians went on to win 5-2, tying the Tigers for first place in the American League Central.
Fry went 0-for-3 on the night, leaving him with a .171 average in 66 games this year. He has eight homers and 23 RBIs.
The 29-year-old Texas native was an All-Star last year in his first full major league season, when he ended up hitting .263 with 14 homers and 51 RBIs in 122 games. In three big-league seasons, all with Cleveland, Fry has a .237 batting average, a .321 on-base percentage, a .423 slugging percentage, 26 homers and 89 RBIs in 245 games.
Skubal wasted no time after the game trying to contact Fry.
“I’ve already reached out to him,” Skuibal said. “I’m sure his phone has blown up. Just want to make sure he’s all right. Obviously, he seemed like he was OK coming off the field, and then hopefully it stays that way. I know sometimes with those things, they can change.
“So hopefully he’s all right, but I look forward to, hopefully at some point tonight or tomorrow morning, getting a text from him and making sure he’s all good, because there’s things that are bigger than the game, and the health of him is more important than a baseball game.”
–Field Level Media
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