Oakland Athletics Pitcher Hospitalized After Taking 100-MPH Line Drive to the Face

Oakland Athletics pitcher Chris Bassitt was carted off the field in the second inning of Tuesday [...]

By Brian Jones

Oakland Athletics pitcher Chris Bassitt was carted off the field in the second inning of Tuesday night's game against the Chicago White Sox after being hit with a 100 MPH line drive in the face. He was sent to the hospital, but the good news is Bassitt never lost consciousness, according to Athletics manager Bob Melvin.

"Bass is conscious, he was the entire time," Melvin said after the game. "We don't think the eye is a problem at this point. It felt like it was below it. He's got some cuts and used some stitches." The Athletics said Bassitt was "diagnosed with a displaced tripod fracture in his right cheek that will require surgery. An exam of his right eye was normal for vision, and no other damage is currently noted in the eye or the orbital bone. In addition, a head CT scan revealed no further injury."

Bassitt was released from Rush Medical Center where he received two stitches for two facial lacerations. The White Sox won the game 9-0, but they were all thinking about Bassitt who was selected to play in his first All-Star game this year.

Over the years, I've seen it, against us and for us. I'm trying to think if there's anything scarier than that," White Sox manager Tony La Russa said. "A guy gets hit in the head at the plate, but he sees it a little bit. This was so defenseless. So he's the No. 1 concern. I just heard that he's conscious, getting examined. Certainly hope that he caught a break and he's OK."

Before his injury, Bassitt had a 12-3 record with a 3.06 ERA and led the team with 151 innings pitched. He also ranks sixth in the American League in strikeouts. In a pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Bassitt posted a 5-2 record with a 2.29 ERA with 11 starts and was named American League Pitcher of the Month in September.

"There's certain games, certain events during the course of your career that are bigger than other ones, and that was huge for him," Melvin said when talking about Bassitt's postseason win against the White Sox last year. "That's a game we had to win. He went out there and performed in that fashion, which I think lends to him that he can perform in any game at any point in time."

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