A foul ball off the bat of the Orioles’ Adley Rutschman went sailing into the Rays’ dugout and struck a reliever Hunter Bigge, leading to him being taken off the field on a cart on Thursday night in Tampa.
The scary incident occurred in the top of the seventh inning when Rutschman fouled off a ball directly into Tampa’s dugout, connecting with Bigge in the upper body and appearing to send him tumbling off the rail.
One fan video from inside George M. Steinbrenner Field showed the moment the ball came off Rutschman’s bat, which sent several other Rays players ducking for cover.
Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson was waiting in the on-deck circle, and you could see him immediately react in horror as well, while the crowd could be heard in the background.
According to the MASN broadcast, the ball came off the bat at 105 mph when it struck Bigge.
Rays head athletic trainer Joe Benge eventually called for a cart, and Bigge was put into a neck brace.
The relief pitcher gave a thumbs-up to the crowd, and he was given an ovation as he was carted away.
Another video posted on social media showed Bigge being placed into an ambulance just outside the stadium.
The Rays, who ended up suffering a 4-1 loss to the Orioles, have not yet released an update on the pitcher’s status.
Bigge turned 27 on Saturday and appeared in 13 games with a 2.40 ERA this season before he went on the IL with a lat strain.