Skip to main content
Come Fan with UsTuesday, June 23, 2026

Pirates Prospect Gerrit Cole Hit In Face By Line Drive

After being hit in the face by a line drive, the Pirates’ No. 1 pick from 2011 is going to be fine.

Starting pitcher Gerrit Cole of the UCLA Bruins pitches against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the men’s NCAA College Baseball World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Starting pitcher Gerrit Cole of the UCLA Bruins pitches against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the men’s NCAA College Baseball World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Starting pitcher Gerrit Cole of the UCLA Bruins pitches against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the men’s NCAA College Baseball World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Getty Images

Gerrit Cole was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft, chosen by the Pittsburgh Pirates out of UCLA. He signed too late to play last year, and was assigned to the Bucs' Bradenton affiliate in the Florida State League out of spring training.

After doing well at that level for 13 starts, Cole was promoted to Double-A Altoona. He was making his second start for that club against Harrisburg Tuesday night when this happened:

Cole was hit in the face, but stayed in the game:

Cole was down for a substantial amount of time after he was hit, but eventually returned to his feet, and finished out the inning. He left the game after the first inning due to swelling in his face. After he was hit, he hit a batter and allowed a single (that Cole himself deflected again) before getting a strikeout to end the inning.The good news, according to Pirates Prospects, is that Cole is going to be fine:

After an examination [Wednesday], Cole shows no signs of a concussion. His CT scan was negative for any broken bones. The only symptom was a contusion on his jaw. Cole will be active today, and is expected to take the mound the next time he’s scheduled to start.More evidence that though baseball doesn’t look dangerous, it can be at any moment.

For more on the Pirates, please visit Bucs Dugout and SB Nation Pittsburgh.

See More:

More in General

GeneralFromPosting and Toasting
An SB Nation New Yorker needs our helpAn SB Nation New Yorker needs our help
GeneralFromPosting and Toasting
General
Sabastian Sawe breaks 2-hour barrier, shatters marathon world recordSabastian Sawe breaks 2-hour barrier, shatters marathon world record
General

The mythical two-hour mark was broken at the London Marathon.

By Bernd Buchmasser
A Huge Dog
THE HISTORY OF CHARGING THE MOUND, EPISODE 1THE HISTORY OF CHARGING THE MOUND, EPISODE 1
Play
General
Super Bowl 60 coin toss resultsSuper Bowl 60 coin toss results
General

The Seahawks and Patriots will open the Super Bowl with the coin toss to determine who starts with the ball. We have the full coin toss results for Super Bowl 60.

By David Fucillo
General
Marc Marquez completes a comeback for the agesMarc Marquez completes a comeback for the ages
General

MotoGP’s Marc Marquez completed a comeback for the ages with his 2025 title

By Mark Schofield
General
How to make sure SBNation.com appears in your Google search resultsHow to make sure SBNation.com appears in your Google search results