Cleveland Guardians designated hitter David Fry was expected to be hospitalized overnight after he was hit in the face by a pitch from the Detroit Tigers’ Tarik Skubal in the sixth inning of Cleveland’s 5-2 win over the Tigers on Tuesday night, a victory that deadlocked the American League (AL) Central.
Fry squared around to try to bunt a 160kph fastball from Skubal, and the pitch struck him in the nose and mouth area. As Fry collapsed in the batter’s box and immediately grabbed his bloodied face, a visibly shaken Skubal threw off his glove and cap as Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt and trainers rushed onto the field.
Fry laid in the dirt for several minutes before being slowly helped to his feet. He gave a thumbs-up signal as he sat up and was driven off in a cart.
Photo: AP
The Guardians said Fry was being transported from Lutheran Medical Center to the Cleveland Clinic Main Campus for further testing and observation.
“It was straight to the face,” Vogt said, describing the impact on Fry that shook everyone inside Progressive Field.
“We’re all thinking about David and his family right now. Obviously, we’re glad he is OK, but obviously it’s a really scary moment,” he said.
Skubal, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, paced around the infield as Fry was being assisted. Following the game, Skubal, who allowed just two hits through the first five innings, said seeing Fry in distress was difficult.
“Really tough,” Skubal said. “I’ve already reached out to him. I’m sure his phone is blowing up. I just want to make sure he’s all right. Obviously, he seemed like he was okay coming off the field and hopefully it stays that way.”
“I know sometimes with those things that can change. So, hopefully he’s all right. I look forward to hopefully at some point tonight or [the next] morning getting a text from him and making sure he’s all good, because there’s things that are bigger than the game, and the health of him is more important than a baseball game,” he added.
Fry was an All-Star last year who underwent off-season elbow surgery and did not join the team until late May.
“Definitely really scary,” Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan said of the incident. “For David to even try something like that, that’s just who he is. Selfless kind of guy, and especially in a position like that, he’s a tough guy.”
“Thankfully, he had some humor when he came up, but you don’t want to see a guy that’s been with you pretty much the whole year,” Kwan said. “Obviously energy-wise, just who he is as a teammate, he’s meant so much to us as a team. It’s really scary, but thankfully he had some humor coming off the field, so hopefully we get some good news.”
Following the incident, Skubal threw a wild pitch to George Valera, who replaced Fry, allowing Cleveland to score. Skubal also had an error — he inexplicably tried to make a blind throw to first between his legs — and was also called for a balk in the sixth inning as the Guardians rallied for three runs to take a 3-2 lead without hitting a ball out of the infield.
Elsewhere on Tuesday:
‧ Phillies 5, Marlins 6
‧ Yankees 3, White Sox 2
‧ Blue Jays 1, Red Sox 4
‧ Braves 3, Nationals 2
‧ Cubs 7, Mets 9
‧ Rangers 1, Twins 4
‧ Angels 4, Royals 8
‧ Mariners 4, Rockies 3
‧ Diamondbacks 5, Dodgers 4
‧ Padres 7, Brewers 0
‧ Giants 8, Cardinals 9
‧ Athletics 5, Astros 1
‧ Orioles 6, Rays 0
‧ Reds 2, Pirates 4
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