(Reuters) – New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka is alert and is able to walk unaided after being hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of team mate Giancarlo Stanton, the Major League Baseball team said on Saturday.
In a terrifying scene during his team’s first official workout since returning from the COVID-19 layoff, the right-handed Japanese pitcher immediately dropped to the ground where he remained for several minutes.
Trainers and team mates rushed to the mound where Tanaka, 31, was tended to. He was then helped to his feet and walked off the field with the assistance of trainers.
Tanaka, who was facing his third batter of the day in the simulated game, was responsive after the incident but was being sent to hospital for further evaluation and testing, the Yankees said in a statement.
After the incident a protective screen was placed in front of the mound.
Tanaka became the fifth highest paid MLB pitcher when the prized free agent signed with New York in 2014 following a dominant career with Japan’s Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
In 2019, Tanaka finished the season with a record of 11-9 in 31 starts with an earned run average of 4.45.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
