What’s worse than a punch in the face? How about a line drive straight to the jaw. That’s what happened to Cleveland Indians’ starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco Tuesday, NBC Sports reported.
In the first inning of a game against the Chicago White Sox, outfielder Melky Cabrera hit a line drive straight at Carlos, striking the pitcher first on the right wrist, then on the right side of his face.
For a few scary minutes, Carrasco, 28, was motionless on the mound as his teammates, Cabrera, Sox center fielder Adam Eaton, and manager Terry Francona rushed to Carols’ side with a trainer, ABC News reported. The manager was shaken.
“That’s not a good feeling. He’s just laying there. That’s scary.”
At first, Carlos was unresponsive as trainers examined his condition, keeping the pitcher still in case Carrasco had a neck or back injury.
Before long, Carlos came to and walked – assisted by trainers – to a cart that took him from the field.
Luckily, An X-ray and CT scan provided some good news – Carlos didn’t suffer a head injury, only a bruised jaw. Cabrera, whose line drive smashed into Carrasco’s jaw, was shaken by the incident.
“You can’t control it once you hit the ball. I heard a few minutes ago that he’s OK. That’s a relief. I feel better with that news. I was very concerned about him.”
Carrasco evidently felt fine after a bit of recovery time – before game’s end, Carolos returned to Progressive Field, but doctors will take a second look on Wednesday.
So far, the Indians haven’t had the best season. Carlos is one of a list of players who’ve been hurt during the team’s first seven games – catcher Yan Gomes is on the disabled list and Michael Brantley’s bad back has kept the left fielder from five games, Cleveland reported. To make matters worse, the Indians have lost four home games in a row.
And Carlos Carrasco’s injury Tuesday added another layer of gravity to a disappointing season. For right fielder, Brandon Moss, the incident was a reminder that the game isn’t always fun.
“The game can be pretty scary sometimes, especially as close as the pitcher is to the ball and as hard as some guys hit the ball. It’s definitely one of those things that makes you stop and remember that this game isn’t all just fun. There’s some danger in it and things can happen really fast.”
[Photo Courtesy Jason Miller/Getty Images]
