A frightening moment occurred during Wednesday evening’s baseball game when Kansas City’s starting pitcher Seth Lugo was forced to leave the contest after being hit in the head by a hard-hit ball from Texas Rangers player Brandon Nimmo.
The incident happened in the fourth inning with one batter out when Nimmo connected with a blazing 106.6 mph line drive that struck Lugo directly in the forehead, sending the pitcher to the ground. The right-handed hurler managed to stand up on his own, though he displayed a visible swelling on his forehead from the impact.
In a show of sportsmanship, Nimmo, who had safely reached base on the play, requested a timeout and jogged over to the pitcher’s mound to check on Lugo’s condition. The two players had previously been teammates during their time with the New York Mets. Following consultation with Kansas City’s medical team, Lugo was able to exit the field walking independently to the team’s dugout.
Mason Black, another right-handed pitcher, took over pitching duties for Kansas City, who held a 1-0 advantage at the time. The Rangers managed to tie the game when Nimmo came home on a walk with the bases loaded to Evan Carter, and Texas took a 2-1 lead by the end of that inning.
Before his departure, Lugo had pitched 3 1/3 innings, giving up one run on three hits and one walk while recording two strikeouts.
The veteran pitcher, age 36, came into Wednesday’s game with a 2-4 record and 3.91 ERA this season, having issued 24 walks and struck out 64 batters across 76 innings in 13 starting appearances.
Throughout his major league career, Lugo has compiled a 66-51 record with 16 saves and a 3.52 ERA, walking 300 batters and striking out 1,018 across 1,069 innings in 373 regular-season appearances, including 136 starts. His career has spanned time with the Mets from 2016-22, the San Diego Padres in 2023, and now the Royals. During his inaugural campaign with Kansas City, Lugo earned All-Star recognition and finished as the runner-up in Cy Young Award voting for 2024.
