An MLB pitcher who took a 100-mph line drive to the face is conscious and stable after narrowly avoiding a gruesome eye injury
- Oakland A's pitcher Chris Bassitt took a 100-mph line drive to the face Tuesday night.
- The right-hander immediately fell to his knees and grabbed at his face in a scary, bloody scene.
- Bassitt is "conscious" and does not appear to have an eye injury, A's manager Bob Melvin said.
A scary, bloody scene unfolded at Chicago's Guaranteed Rate Field Tuesday night.
Oakland A's pitcher Chris Bassitt took a line drive to the face in the second inning of his team's matchup against the White Sox. The ball left Chicago outfielder Brian Goodwin's bat at just over 100 miles per hour and clipped Bassitt almost instantaneously, forcing the right-hander to his knees as he grabbed at his face.
Bassitt's teammates gestured for help midway through the play, and medics quickly charged onto the field to attend to his wounds. He remained on the mound for multiple minutes as players from both teams looked on with evident concern.
The ace was carted off the diamond with a towel pressed to the right side of his face.
The A's released a statement saying Bassitt was transferred to a local hospital after leaving the field. And after the game, Oakland manager Bob Melvin shared with the press that his starter was "conscious... the entire time."
"We don't think the eye is a problem at this point," Melvin said. "It felt like it was below it. He's got some cuts and used some stitches."
"He's in a scan, and we'll know about potential fractures tomorrow or later tonight," he added.
Fans, teammates, and opponents alike sent Bassitt messages of support following his terrifying injury. Even Goodwin, the White Sox batter who hit the line drive, tweeted out that Bassitt was "in my prayers for sure."
As of this article's publication, the A's had not released an update on Bassitt's condition or his scan results.
A clip of the incident is available below, but the contents of the video may be disturbing to some readers: