Baseball fans in Atlanta were left holding their breath on Saturday night after Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Sean Newcomb took a line drive off the back of his head against the Philadelphia Phillies.
In the third inning, Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto lined a ball up the middle with a 102 mph exit velocity that hit Newcomb in the back of the head then deflected off the netting and into Philadelphia’s dugout.
Newcomb sat up moments after taking the direct shot to the back of his head and trainers quickly arrived by his side to examine him. Newcomb seemed ready to stand up on his own before he was sat back down.
Fortunately, Newcomb seemed very aware of everything going on and was able to walk off the field under his own power and head into Atlanta’s clubhouse with the trainers.
Newcomb will likely be evaluated for a concussion by the team and examined by the doctors in the coming days. Given how hard the ball was hit and where it hit him, everyone is fortunate that Newcomb was able to walk off the field and seems to have avoided a significant head injury.