At a time when the dangers of line drives and the safety of fans is discussed around baseball, Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Emilio Pagán experienced the dangers of being on the pitcher’s mound on Friday night.
In the sixth inning against the Minnesota Twins, a line drive came back and hit the side of Pagan’s face just as he tried to duck out of the way from the liner.
Pagán stayed on the ground for several moments with trainers checking him out to make sure he didn’t suffer a significant injury or potential trauma to his head. Fortunately, it appears the ball hit off Pagán’s cheek and he avoided a far more significant injury.
Not only was the 28-year-old able to stand up and resume pitching, but he recorded the final out to get out of the inning and keep the game tied. He would return to the mound for the seventh inning so it appears Pagán walked away from this scary moment without too much damage.