MLB Player Hospitalized After He’s Hit in Face with 99 MPH Fastball

A Cleveland Guardians player was hospitalized Tuesday after he was hit by a 99 mph pitch in a moment that left the stadium in shock.

Guardians designated hitter David Fry immediately crumpled to the ground after he squared up to bunt a pitch from Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal in the game’s sixth inning, but the ball hit his face instead of the bat.

Fry, 29, fell to the ground with a bloodied face while Skubal covered his eyes, tossed his cap and turned away from the scene.

As the crowd at Progressive Field in Cleveland drew silent, other players looked on in concern and disbelief while trainers, as well as manager Stephen Vogt, rushed to Fry’s side.

“You see it right away and then right as I got out there I saw what I saw,” Vogt, said, according to Cleveland.com. “I just told him, ‘keep laying down.’ … Then obviously trainers were right there.”

Fry was able to sit up and then was helped onto a cart and taken off the field. Vogt said the DH remained conscious throughout the incident.

The 2024 All-Star was taken to Cleveland Clinic, where he was reported to have been held for observation overnight, according to the Associated Press.

The team had not provided an update on Fry’s condition as of Wednesday morning.

For Skubal, the scary moment resonated — and put things in perspective.

“I’ve already reached out to him. I’m sure his phone’s blowing up,” Skubal, 28, told reporters after the game. “I just want to make sure he’s all right. He seemed okay coming off the field, and hopefully it stays that way.”

Skubal added, “I look forward to, hopefully tonight or tomorrow morning, getting a text from him and making sure he’s all good. There are things that are bigger than the game, and his health is more important than a baseball game.”