Tampa, Florida
AP
—
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Hunter Bigge was carted off the field in a frightening scene Thursday night after he was struck by a foul ball in the dugout.
In the top of the seventh inning, Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman fouled a pitch into the Tampa Bay dugout and it hit Bigge, a 27-year-old right-hander currently on the injured list.
Emergency medical personnel quickly arrived to attend to Bigge. After several quiet minutes as Rays players knelt in the field, Bigge was placed on a backboard and carted off.
Bigge, on the 15-day injured list with a lat strain, gave a thumbs-up gesture as the Steinbrenner Field crowd rose for a standing ovation. The game resumed after an eight-minute delay with Baltimore leading 4-1.
Bigge was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 12th round of the 2019 amateur draft from Harvard and made his major league debut for them on July 9 last year. He was traded 19 days later to Tampa Bay along with Christopher Morel and minor leaguer Ty Johnson for All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes.
In 32 career appearances, including one start, Bigge has a 2.51 ERA and one save. This season, he has a 2.40 ERA in 13 relief outings covering 15 innings.
The Rays told CNN in a statement: “Hunter Bigge was struck in the cheek but is conscious and speaking with doctors. He will undergo further testing tonight and will continue to be monitored.”
