San Diego Padres pitcher Cole Paplham took a big hit on the field.
On Sunday, Feb. 23, during a spring training game between the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers — which saw the Dodgers beat the Padres 8-3 — the Padres pitcher got hit in the face by a line drive off the bat of Dodgers’ first baseman Aaron Bracho.
In a video shared on X by Dodgers Nation, Paplham, 24, threw the ball before Bracho batted it back, striking the pitcher’s face.
The clip appeared to capture the ball hitting the side of Paplham’s face on his cheek and jaw area.
Upon impact, Paplham spun around before covering his face with his hands. According to MLB.com, a teammate and staff member ran to his assistance and placed a towel on his face.
The player then walked to a golf cart while covering his head with the towel before being taken off the field.
According to Statcast, per MLB.com, Bracho’s liner was clocked at 102.4 mph.
The outlet adds that Padres manager Mike Shildt confirmed Paplham had remained conscious and alert following the incident and was evaluated on the field for several minutes.
“Our prayers are with him,” Shildt said. “He was conscious, seemed alert, knew where he was. But clearly a scary thing. … He was clearly in some pain, and obviously when something like that happens, a little bit rattled.”
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“Prayers up for Padres reliever Cole Paplham after he took a nasty hit to the head from a line drive during this Dodgers, Padres Cactus League game,” Dodgers Nation wrote in their caption on X. “Just days after Bobby Miller got drilled by a 105.5 MPH ball.”
Dodgers pitcher Bobby Miller was hit by a ball during a spring training game against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday, Feb. 20.
Miller was struck in the head by the ball after Cubs first baseman Michael Busch hit a 105.5 mph fastball during the third inning. He immediately grasped his head as he collapsed to the ground, but was later able to walk off himself after medical staff arrived on the field.
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