PITTSBURGH — Rays infielder/outfielder Amed Rosario was mad after being hit by a 99.6 mph Jared Jones fastball in the first inning of Saturday’s game against the Pirates.
The pitch struck Rosario’s shoulder and the face guard on his batting helmet, bloodying his face and knocking him to the ground in a scary moment.
He was mad he had to leave the game. Despite how bad the scene looked and sounded, he sustained only a cut to the left side of his lips that needed just two stitches to close.
“I feel good,” Rosario said afterward via team interpreter Manny Navarro. “Luckily, it wasn’t anything worse.”
Rosario, understandably, wasn’t sure exactly what happened.
“I’m not sure what it hit first,” he said. “I know it hit my arm, and I know it hit the C flap (on the helmet) which is what caused I think the cut.”
Rosario said he wasn’t too concerned about the details when he returned to the dugout a few innings later.
“I wasn’t really paying attention anymore,” he said, “because all I was mad about was the fact that I wasn’t playing.”
Manager Kevin Cash said the entire team was scared as Rosario went to one knee and on-deck batter Jose Siri raced over, then waved frantically for assistance from head athletic trainer Joe Benge. Rosario walked off the field with a towel covering part of his face.
— Bally Sports Sun: Rays (@BallyRays) June 22, 2024A scary scene in Pittsburgh as Amed Rosario takes a 100 mph pitch to the face.
Rosario appears to be okay 🙏 pic.twitter.com/65zFZ0wODx
“Pretty best-case scenario,” Cash said. “That was a scary moment.”
Rosario said he expects to return to action soon, with no injured-list stay expected, earning more respect from his teammates.
“That’s a tough dude,” outfielder Josh Lowe said. “For him to even step foot back in the dugout the same game, that’s pretty incredible. Him saying he’s ready to go is a testament to who he is as a person and the work ethic and how he plays the game.”
Brandon Lowe, hit earlier in the inning by a 91.1 mph slider that broke his right pinkie toe, wasn’t sure when he will be able to return to action but also didn’t expect to go on the IL. Lowe, the designated hitter, came around to score in the first, batted again in the third, then left the game.
“It feels like a broken toe — sore, throbbing, pretty much anything that you could think of,” he said. “But the good thing is, it’s a toe. And from what I’ve been told, a lot of it’s pain tolerance and whether or not you can run (after) the swing (like) you’re supposed to. So, ice it and see where we’re at (Sunday).”
Special visits
Rays president Brian Auld and vice president Stephen Thomas led a contingent of St. Petersburg community leaders, including Mayor Ken Welch, on a trip to Birmingham, Alabama, for Thursday’s major-league game at historic Rickwood Field in tribute to the Negro Leagues. … The Rays brought around 60 corporate partners to Pittsburgh for the Friday and Saturday games, plus some meet-and-greets with staff and players; the group was led by team president Matt Silverman.
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Yandy Diaz doubled with two outs in the ninth inning, extending his career-best on-base streak to 24 games and his hitting streak to a career-high 15. ... Randy Arozarena’s seven-game hitting streak ended. ... Thunderstorms and a 70% chance of rain are forecast for Sunday afternoon. ... Ryan Pepiot has his own scouting report on Pirates Sunday starter Paul Skenes. Pepiot’s younger brother, Kyle, faced Skenes while playing for Butler in March 2023. How did it go? Pepiot said it was a big deal that Kyle lined out once, as most of his teammates struck out. ... Pete Fairbanks exchanged jerseys and took a photo after Friday’s game with former Rays teammate and fellow St. Louis-area product Josh Fleming, currently a Pirates reliever.... Aaron Civale will start for the Rays on Sunday, coming off what wound up being a rough outing at Minnesota. He worked three scoreless innings and then gave up four runs in the fourth.
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