The New York Yankees experienced a frightening moment on Saturday during live batting practice when starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka was drilled in the head by a line drive.
Just a day after the Yankees welcomed back their players for spring training 2.0 in preparation for the 2020 season, a feeling of excitement turned to terror. In the middle of batting practice, Giancarlo Stanton drilled a liner up the middle that hit Tanaka in the head and left him motionless on the ground.
The 31-year-old pitcher laid on the ground for several minutes with trainers and teammates rushing towards him. Tanaka was eventually able to sit up and be examined on the mound by the team’s medical staff.
Following the examination, Tanaka was guided off the field and into the dugout with trainers at his side. Fortunately, he was able to get up and move largely under his own power.
Tanaka is an integral piece of New York’s rotation, as he proved once again during the 2019 season. In the postseason, the right-handed pitcher dominated with a 2.25 ERA and 0.75 WHIP across 16 innings.
Hopefully everything checks out and this proves to be just an alarming scare for the Yankees and Tanaka.