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A scary scene unfolded at Progressive Field during the Cleveland Guardians-Detroit Tigers game Tuesday night, when the Guardians’ David Fry was hit in the face by a foul tip on a bunt attempt.
In the bottom of the sixth inning with the Guardians down 2-1, there were runners on the corners with no outs when Tarik Skubal delivered a 2-1 pitch to Fry, who quickly turned to square for a sacrifice bunt.
But the 99 mph fastball from Skubal, the Tigers’ Ace, was too far inside. As Fry made contact with the pitch, it hit the top of his bat and redirected into his face.
Fry hit the dirt at home plate in immediate pain, and Skubal threw down his glove and hat in shock. Skubal was in clear discomfort after what unfolded, but everyone on the field and in the stands shared his feelings as trainers rushed out to tend to Fry.
Fry eventually stood up, and blood was streaming down from his nose. A cart came out to take Fry off the field, and as you’d expect, his night was over.
Unfortunately for Fry and the Guardians, because the ball made contact with the bat before hitting him in the face, it was considered a foul ball, and the count went to 2-2.
Pinch hitter George Valera came in for Fry to finish the at-bat and take his place for the remainder of the game.
The inning ended up getting worse for Skubal and the Tigers once play finally resumed. His first pitch after the accident was wild, allowing the runner at third base to score to tie the game, while Jose Ramirez moved up to second.
Then Skubal committed a balk, allowing Ramirez a free bag, a groundout to first base scored Ramirez to give Cleveland a 3-2 lead heading into the seventh inning.
Skubal is one of the best pitchers in MLB, and the 2024 Cy Young Award winner entered the game with an American League-leading 2.23 ERA over 189.1 innings. His resume this season makes him a frontrunner for the award yet again.
The game has huge playoff implications because the Guardians were just one game behind the Tigers when they began their final three-game, regular-season series Tuesday night. Each game is crucial at this point, with only a handful of games remaining to determine who will vie for a World Series title this October.
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