Hitting a 94 miles-per-hour fastball is considered to be among the most difficult things to do in professional sports, but dodging a 94 mph fastball may just top the list.
On Monday night in Atlanta, New York Mets outfielder Kevin Pillar was hit in the face by a seventh inning fastball thrown by Braves pitcher Jacob Webb. The misplaced pitch immediately silenced the home crowd and Webb appeared near tears as he watched blood pour from the nose of a crumpled Pillar.
“Blood coming out of the nose of Pillar, who was struck flush by that pitch,” Mets play-by-play man Gary Cohen said on the call. “It forces in a run but the concern is for Pillar, and you can see the concern on the face of Jacob Webb.”
Kevin Pillar got hit in the face by a Jacob Webb fastball.
Amazingly, he walked off under his own power.
Still, a frightening scene nonetheless. pic.twitter.com/6kPINtKIYn
— Ryan Field (@RyanFieldABC) May 18, 2021
After the Mets’ 3-1 victory, manager Luis Rojas said that Pillar had left the field to go to the hospital for a CT scan. On Tuesday morning, the Mets announced that Pillar suffered multiple nasal fractures from the pitch.
Pillar did send a tweet Monday night letting everyone know that he was “doing fine.”
Thanks to everyone that has reached out! Scary moment but I’m doing fine! #RBI #gamewinner 👍🏽👍🏽
— Kevin Pillar (@KPILLAR4) May 18, 2021
“It’s real scary,” Mets catcher James McCann said, according to ESPN.
“He gets hit by the pitch and the last thing on my mind is going to touch home plate,” McCann continued. “Our thoughts and prayers are definitely with him and that’s just a scary moment. You wonder if he’s OK. The thought of standing in the box, the normal person doesn’t realize how fast that ball is coming in there and how quick you have to react. It was just one of those things, that ball looked like it was chasing him.”
The play clearly affected the Braves, and Webb had to be pulled from the game. Similar instances in the past have impacted pitchers mentally for years, even to the point where careers have been altered. Webb was seen being consoled in the dugout by Braves pitching coach, Rick Kranitz.
“That was enough, right there. I don’t want the kid [Webb] to continue after that,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said when asked about pulling Webb. “I just hope that kid [Pillar] is ok. That was ugly and everybody keep him in your prayers.
“That’s about as sickening a thing as you can see on the baseball field, when a kid gets hit like that,” Snitker continued. “I just keep that kid in my prayers and hopefully everything works out ok. This guy is nothing but a pro — the way he carries himself, the way he plays the game. He’s a gamer and a true pro. So we hope everything works out good for him.”
The Mets and Braves continue their series on Tuesday at 7:20pm EST.
Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.