Relief pitcher Hunter Bigge joined the Tampa Bay Rays in a July trade from the Chicago Cubs. File Photo by David Tulis/UPI | License Photo
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Hunter Bigge was hit in the face with a 105.1-mph foul ball and hospitalized, but was coherent and remained conscious, manager Kevin Cash told reporters after a loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
Bigge was hit in the top of the seventh inning of the 4-1 setback Thursday night in Tampa, Fla. The 27-year-old reliever, who is on the injured list because of a lat strain, was sitting on a bench near the front railing of the Rays dugout at George M. Steinbrenner Field when the ball struck him.
“He’s coherent,” Cash said Thursday. “He’s talking to the physician. He’s going to have a lot of tests. … I don’t have a ton to add other than that.”
The Rays are expected to provide an update on Bigge later Friday. The relief pitcher gave a thumbs-up sign to the crowd as he was taken away on a stretcher.
Orioles All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman was at the plate during the incident. Rays pitcher Connor Seabold threw in a 3-2 slider for the eighth pitch of his exchange with the Orioles catcher. Rutschman slapped the high-and-inside offering to his right, sending the ball flying toward the dugout and hitting Bigge.
Players from both teams winced in reaction and stopped to watch Bigge taken out of the stadium on a stretcher.
“I saw it off my bat and it’s really, really scar,” Rutschman said. “I’m praying for him and his recovery. I hope he is doing OK. It’s scary. I haven’t really been a part of something like that.
“You never want to see that. I think everyone wishes for the best health for everyone in this game. You hate to see that. I hope he’s doing OK.”
Seabold walked Rutschman when the game resumed. Neither team scored over the final three innings.
Rutschman went 0 for 4 with a strikeout and a walk in the win. Orioles left fielder Colton Cowser went 2 for 4 with a three-run home run and a double. Orioles starter Charlie Morton allowed six hits and one run over six innings to earn his fourth win of the season.
Bigge, a 12th-round pick by the Chicago Cubs in the 2019 MLB Draft, joined the Rays in a July 28 trade. The former Harvard pitcher logged a 2.40 ERA over his first 13 appearances this season. He posted a 2.60 ERA over 19 appearances last season, which he split with the Cubs and Rays.
“It’s terrifying,” Orioles manager Tony Mansolino said. “We sit in these dugouts every night and, in a lot of ways, you kinda feel like a sitting duck. It’s just terrifying. We wish the best for the player that got hit.”
The Rays (41-34) will host the MLB-best Detroit Tigers (48-28) at 7:05 p.m. EDT Friday in Tampa. The Orioles (32-42) will take on the New York Yankees (43-31) at 7:05 p.m. Friday in New York.
