Pirates pitcher hit in head by line drive but stays in game
PITTSBURGH — Pirates rookie pitcher Jameson Taillon was struck in the head by a line drive but remained in the game on Tuesday night.
"I saw it coming at me, turned from it and remember going down," Taillon said. "I could feel it on my head a little bit, but I remained conscious. I saw where the play went. I answered all the questions they asked me. I wanted to get up quicker than I was able to. I remember it pretty clearly."
Milwaukee's Hernan Perez hit a 105-mph line drive off the back of Taillon's head with one out in the second inning. Taillon lay in front of the pitcher's mound for several minutes while being tended to by trainers, then remarkably opted to stay in the game and pitched six innings.
Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle admitted his thoughts went to Taillon's parents watching on television but decided to trust the recommendation of the medical staff that Taillon was OK to continue.
"This is one area that I'm not really comfortable with," he said. "I have to trust our people. They do know what they're doing, how to follow protocol to test the player and the things to do."
Athletic trainers Ben Potenziano, left, and Todd Tomczyk, right, help Pirates starting pitcher Jameson Taillon to sit up in the second inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. Taillon was hit by a ball off the bat of Herman Perez, but stayed in the game.
The scare hardly seemed to faze Taillon, who allowed one run and five hits, striking out three without a walk before being removed after throwing 65 pitches in his first start since being placed on the disabled list on June 28 with right-shoulder fatigue.
"I felt like I dealt with it pretty well," Taillon said. "I definitely had some adrenaline after. I thought some of my pitches were up afterwards. It's tough to control the emotions right after that. I was able to keep the team in the game."
The 24-year-old rookie, the second overall pick in the 2010 draft, entered the game 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA in five starts this season.
Pittsburgh is looking for a fourth consecutive playoff berth and general manager Neal Huntington pointed to the return of Taillon and Francisco Cervelli as hope the team may not need to go shopping at the trade deadline for help.
Taillon was solid during his first month in the majors before the team shut him down briefly due to concerns about his workload. He was fresh in his first start in three weeks, working quickly and retiring the last nine batters he faced before turning things over to a bullpen that rounded into form following a rocky start.
The Pirates won 3-2 after Josh Harrison tripled leading off the bottom of the ninth and scored when the throw to third skipped past Perez and out of play.
The Pirates' Josh Harrison slides safely into third with a triple during the ninth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. Harrison was awarded home after Brewers second baseman Scooter Gennett's throw went out of play, giving the Pirates a 3-2 victory.