Pitcher takes 104mph drive to the face (VIDEO)
Miami Marlins pitcher Daniel Castano suffered a horrendous hit to the forehead by a 104 mph ball during his team's 7-6 win against the Cincinnati Reds.
The incident occurred during the first inning of the game on Thursday.
Pitching the ball at Donovan Solano, Castano saw it come back at him by the way of a 104 mph (167 kph) line drive that struck the bill of his cap and then ricochet off the crown, as explained by his coach Don Mattingly.
Castano understandably fell to the turf on his knees and put one of his hands to his head as Mattingly, his trainers and teammate Jacob Stallings rushed over to check on the 27-year-old.
Though Castano didn't appear to lose consciousness, a cart was prepared to take him off the field before he rose after about 90 seconds and walked off without help and had a towel placed over his neck.
Marlins pitcher Daniel Castano took a line drive to the head that was caught at third base for the outHe was alert and able to walk off the field on his own power pic.twitter.com/n911w3QfHH
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) July 28, 2022
The Marlins said that Castano had shown mild symptoms of concussion and was bruised with a CT scan showing normal results.
Later on, Castano, who wore a bandage on his forehead where some of the skin had been scraped off, was confused.
"I’m not sure what happened," Castano said.
"I was down for a second. I was a little out of it. When I woke up, I asked, ‘What happened?’ I’m much better now. I’m a little bit tired, but I’ll be all right," he claimed.
"I’m just glad we got the out," Castano added with a smile, as third baseman Joey Wendle had managed to catch the ball on the play.
Marlins starter Daniel Castano walks off the field under his own power after being struck on the head by a line drive off the bat of Donovan Solano. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/SUhNMlk3A9
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) July 28, 2022
"It’s a little bit scary," Mattingly remarked elsewhere.
"Your biggest fear is damage. [But] he’s about as good as could be expected."
"It is really awful to see that happen to anyone," commented Reds manager David Bell.
"I’ve seen it happen before. I had a conversation to see that everything was OK. It is just a major relief to hear that. It’s very scary for everyone involved, certainly for their pitcher and their home team and our team," Bell went on.
"You almost want to stop playing the game. When he was kneeling and walked off on his own, we all felt a little better."
Currently fourth in the NL East, the Marlins face the New York Mets next on Friday night.
