The Rockies’ Tyler Freeman took a 98.2 MPH fastball straight to the head while at bat on Saturday as the team faced pitcher Jacob Misiorowski and the Milwaukee Brewers.
Freeman was at bat in the sixth inning of the Rockies’ lopsided 7-1 loss to the Brewers when Misiorowski uncorked a fastball that went wrong, clocking Freeman on the left side of his head and hitting him so hard it knocked off his batting helmet and caused him to double over in shock and pain, the New York Post reported.
From the mound, Misiorowski was just as shocked as anyone else, but he was soon sighing in relief when Freeman walked off the field on his own power.
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Freeman was swiftly removed from the game to have a doctor check him out, but it appears he suffered no serious damage, and Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer reported later that Freeman was fine.
The beanball to the head put a little pall over Misiorowski’s showing of having 45 pitches exceeding 100 mph in the game.
Still, the errant pitch seemed to throw Misiorowski off his game a bit as he went on to walk the Rockies’ Hunter Goodman to load the bases. Fortunately for the Brewers, the Rockies were unable to drive those runners in.
“Obviously, I don’t want that to happen … lost the ball, lost grip on it,” Misiorowski told the press after the game. “Obviously, not aiming for him. There’s also the moment, I’m standing behind the mound trying to pray for him a little bit.”
As to Freeman’s teammates, they did not seem too worried, and outfielder Troy Johnston joked that “They were talking about amputating his head, but I think they advised against that. Other than that, he’s fine, seems in good spirits.”
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