ST. LOUIS – The Braves handled the Cardinals for a fourth straight win Friday night, but it did not come without one of the scariest incidents that can occur on a baseball field.
In the top of the ninth inning, Braves reliever Jackson Stephens was hit on the head with a 90.4-mph liner from the Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan. Stephens left the game and was able to walk off the field.
After his team’s 11-4 win at Busch Stadium, Braves manager Brian Snitker said Stephens – who was evaluated by Atlanta’s medical staff – would go to a hospital for further tests. Snitker said Stephens was aware after getting hit.
“It’s always scary when you see somebody get hit in the head, the face,” Snitker said. “That’s probably one of the most sickening things you can witness in a game.”
The baseball left Stephens with a big knot on his forehead.
Spencer Strider, who started for the Braves, was in the clubhouse when the play happened. He watched it on TV. Strider saw Stephens in the clubhouse after it occurred and said Stephens seemed to be “in good spirits, all things considered.”
“That’s like the .01 percent of plays that really scares you in baseball,” Strider said. “He’s a tough, hard-headed guy. He wore it pretty well and I think he’s going to be all right. And walked right off like a champ. Right away, you could tell it hit his head and it was serious, but I think he’s going to be all right. He’s a tough guy, so he should be good.”
Snitker summoned Stephens to pitch the ninth inning of a blowout. He recorded one out before suffering the scary injury that left his coaches and teammates hoping he is OK.
“It honestly almost felt like we lost the game when that happened,” William Contreras said through interpreter Franco García. “It’s just kind of one of those things, like we knew we were winning but he’s such a great teammate and obviously this clubhouse is full of great teammates as well, so when you see something like that happen to someone you care about, a teammate, it kind of just takes the wind out of your sails. It was hard. Even though we won that game, we kind of lost that happiness and that joy.”
