It sounds like Hunter Bigge is going to be OK after taking a 105-mph line drive to the head on Thursday.
Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash visited the pitcher at the hospital on Friday and told reporters he was doing well, one day after being carted off Steinbrenner Field in a stretcher. From MLB.com’s Adam Berry:
“Getting to see Hunter and talk to him, he was in good spirits,” Cash said. “Not a ton of information other than that, but for me, personally, witnessing and watching what took place yesterday, to see how he was today and being able to interact, we’re heading in a really good direction.”
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Bigge’s wife Casey is reportedly with him in the hospital and his parents flew to Tampa from San Francisco on Thursday night to see him.
The injury occurred in the seventh inning of the Rays’ 4-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday. Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman hit a foul ball off Tampa Bay pitcher Connor Seabold that found Bigge in the dugout. Not only did it hit Bigge square in the head, he also appeared to have a pretty hard fall from the dugout rail.
It was immediately clear something was very wrong, with Rays trainer Joe Benge soon calling for paramedics. With the crowd silent, a cart and stretcher were brought to the dugout and Bigge was wheeled out, giving a thumbs up as he left the field.
Rays pitcher Ryan Pepiot painted a grim picture of the scene to MLB.com:
“You see the ball coming at you, and we all ducked. You could hear the contact it made and then see him fall backwards,” Pepiot said. “I mean, honestly, like, I almost threw up. I’m not good with blood or anything like that. But just seeing that, just like how close it was, it was one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen.”
Hunter Bigge appears to be in a good place, after being in the wrong one at the wrong time. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
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Fortunately, Bigge reportedly never lost consciousness and was conversational as he was being treated. The Rays sounded optimistic about his prognosis after the game, and it appears Friday brought its own good news.
A Harvard product, Bigge is in his second season in the majors and joined the Rays as part of the Isaac Paredes trade with the Chicago Cubs last season. He holds a 2.40 ERA in 15 innings this season.
