Early signs are positive after Yankees' Anthony Misiewicz is hit in head by line drive
Yankees relief pitcher Anthony Misiewicz is taken off the field after being injured during the sixth inning against the Pirates in Pittsburgh on Friday. Credit: AP/Gene J. Puskar
PITTSBURGH — Yankees reliever Anthony Misiewicz was carted off the field while sitting up and holding a towel to the left side of his head after he was hit by a line drive in the sixth inning of Friday night’s game against the Pirates at PNC Park.
Misiewicz, a 28-year-old lefthander making his third Yankees appearance, took the line drive off the bat of Ji Hwan Bae and went down on the mound.
The ball, which was hit at 100.6 mph, ricocheted all the way to Aaron Judge in rightfield for an RBI single that tied the score at 3-3.
As the Yankees’ trainers and manager Aaron Boone rushed to Misiewicz’s aid, what had been a festive crowd at PNC on Roberto Clemente Day grew silent. Players from both teams took a knee.
Misiewicz eventually was able to get up and sit in a cart before he was driven off the field to applause from fans. Misiewicz was shown smiling.
The Yankees issued a statement that said: “Anthony is alert and oriented. He was assessed by a Pirates team doctor and was transported to Allegheny General Hospital, where he will undergo further testing.”
After the Yankees’ 7-5 victory, Boone said: “I know he just got through some scans, but we don’t have any results from that. All I know is he left here in good spirits and they felt like in a pretty good spot. But just hoping and praying for the best as far as results and, obviously, the hours after that.
“He was pretty aware, pretty alert, which obviously was encouraging. Had a little blood, but just listening to the trainers talk to him, he knew exactly where he was and all that was going on, like those kinds of questions. At least initially, we were like, OK, and then he’s able to sit up. So just pray for him right now and hopefully everything goes well with him tonight.”
Said Yankees starter Gerrit Cole: “I’m sick to my stomach about it . . . You’re just praying for him, really, hoping he comes through all right. Just the fact that he’s alert through pretty much the whole thing was probably — not a whole lot of fun to be alert through — but it’s better than the other way. So we’re just thinking about him.”
After Zach McAllister replaced Misiewicz and allowed a two-out, two-run single by Ke’Bryan Hayes, Misiewicz was the pitcher of record on the losing side. The Yankees got him off the hook by scoring four runs in the ninth.
Misiewicz was claimed off waivers from Detroit on July 6 and made his Yankees debut on Sunday after getting called up from Triple-A Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre. He also has pitched in the majors for Detroit and Arizona this season, and Seattle and Kansas City in previous years starting in 2020.
Including his three games with the Yankees, Misiewicz has a career record of 8-9 with a 4.87 ERA in 130 games, all in relief.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
