Mets right fielder Kevin Pillar left New York’s Monday game at Atlanta after he was hit in the face by a 94 mph fastball from Braves reliever Jacob Webb in the seventh inning.
Pillar appeared to be struck on the bridge of his nose. He immediately went to the ground and blood was flowing freely as trainers rushed to get towels on the injury.
The distraught Webb stood quietly with his glove on his head and was removed from the game by Atlanta manager Brian Snitker.
Pillar never lost consciousness and walked to the clubhouse on his own power to be checked by the trainer. After the Mets’ 3-1 win, New York manager Luis Rojas said Pillar was undergoing a CT scan at a local hospital.
Pillar also tweeted postgame, “Thanks to everyone that has reached out! Scary moment but I’m doing fine! #RBI #gamewinner”
The hit-by-pitch occurred with the bases loaded, with James McCann scoring to give the Mets a 2-0 lead. Khalil Lee entered the game as a pinch-runner for Pillar, making his major league debut.
Pillar, 32, went 1-for-3 in the game, raising his season average to .250. He has two homers and eight RBIs in 28 games during his first season with New York.
Pillar previously played for the Toronto Blue Jays (2013-19), San Francisco Giants (2019), Boston Red Sox (2020) and Colorado Rockies (2020), producing a .262 career average with a .706 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, 84 homers and 351 RBIs in 933 games.
–Field Level Media