boston
The Boston Red Sox endured a frightening scare at the plate Friday evening when first baseman Willson Contreras was hit squarely in the helmet by a 95-mile-per-hour four-seam fastball delivered by Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Will Klein. The incident occurred in the third inning and ultimately ended Contreras' night.
Klein had narrowly missed a similar pitch on the first offering of the at-bat, but the second attempt found its mark, striking Contreras in the head area. After the hit by pitch, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts promptly removed Klein from the game.
Despite the severity of the impact, Contreras remained composed. He stayed on the field to take his base, appearing to reassure interim manager Chad Tracy and the team's trainer that he was okay. However, the Red Sox opted to pull him from the defensive alignment in the following half-inning, moving Nick Sogard from second base to first and bringing Anthony Seigler in to cover second.
Key Analysis
Contreras has been a cornerstone of Boston's lineup this season, and his potential absence would be a significant blow. Acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals during the offseason, he has emerged as the team's most reliable offensive force. As of Friday, he led the Red Sox in batting average (.288), on-base percentage (.396), slugging percentage (.547), OPS (.943), home runs (23), RBIs (67), runs scored (55), and walks (48). The Red Sox have shown resilience over the past month, but they will be holding their breath that Contreras' apparent calm after the hit translates to a clean bill of health.
Originally reported by boston.