Jameson Taillon was at the center of one of the scariest situations in sports as a ripped line drive struck the Pirates pitcher in the head. Unbelievably, Taillon not only appeared to come away without an injury, but he managed remain in the game.
Pirates pitcher Jameson Taillon stays in the game despite being struck in the head by a line drive
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The play happened in the top of the the second inning on Tuesday. Brewers third baseman Hernan Perez ripped a 2-1 pitch right back up the middle. The ball struck Taillon in the head and hit hard enough that it ricocheted all the way to left field. Adam McCalvy of MLB.com noted that the ball came off Perez’s bat at 105 mph, according to Statcast. The play can be seen here.
Pitchers have suffered significant injuries after being hit by comebackers. Taillon initially went down to the field before being attended to by teammates and trainers. He sat up after a brief bit and it appeared he was lucky to avoid significant injury. Then, to the surprise of many, he stayed in the game. Taillon’s spot in the order was due up after finishing the inning, but he batted and took the mound the next inning.
The fact that he stayed in the game after being struck so hard is astonishing and also somewhat troubling. With what we know about the impact of head injuries in sports, it seems unfathomable that a training staff would allow him to remain in the game after that impact. If a player isn’t going to be removed from a game for a full examination after taking a direct line drive to the head, it’s hard to see any scenario where they would be pulled from a game.
