CLEVELAND, Ohio — Guardians designated hitter David Fry underwent testing and further evaluation at Cleveland Clinic’s main campus late Tuesday and was likely to be held overnight for observation after a scary injury against the Tigers at Progressive Field.
Fry was carted off the field in the sixth inning when he was struck in the face by a 99.1 mph fastball from Detroit lefty Tarik Skubal as he squared to bunt with a pair of runners on base.
Skubal’s pitch rode up and in to Fry, who was hit just below his nose and left eye before dropping to the seat of his pants and sprawling on his back in the dirt next to home plate. Replay showed the pitch hit Fry directly in the face, though it was originally ruled a foul tip by home plate umpire Edwin Moscoso.
Skubal immediately dropped his glove and cap, raising his hands to his face in horror and pacing behind the mound as trainers rushed to Fry’s aid.
Manager Stephen Vogt was first to reach Fry, and knew immediately that the injury was severe.
“You see it right away and then right as I got out there I saw what I saw,” Vogt said. “I just told him, ‘keep laying down.’ … Then obviously trainers were right there.”
Vogt said Fry remained conscious throughout the entire ordeal.
“It was straight to the face,” Vogt said. “So, we’re all thinking about David and his family right now. Obviously we’re glad he is OK, but it’s a really scary moment.”
The Guardians had already scored a run to cut Detroit’s lead in half when Fry exited the game. George Valera came off the bench to continue Fry’s at-bat and eventually struck out, but not before Skubal, who was visibly shaken after hitting Fry, allowed a run to score on a wild pitch. Gabriel Arias’ RBI ground out put Cleveland in front 3-2 before the inning was over.
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The Guardians handed Detroit its seventh straight loss and moved into a tie atop the American League Central Division standings. But afterward, thoughts in both clubhouses were centered on Fry’s condition.
Skubal told reporters that he had already reached out to Fry via text, hoping to make sure he was OK.
“I’m sure his phone is blowing up,” Skubal said. “There’s things that are bigger than the game, and the health of him is more important than a baseball game.”
Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler, an Ohio native from Massillon, added his thoughts.
“We’re praying for David,” Dingler said. “There are a lot of emotions in that situation.”
Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan, called the moment “scary” and credited Fry for sacrificing himself to try and help his team.
“That’s just who he is,” Kwan said. “Selfless kind of guy, and especially in a position like that, he’s a tough guy.”
Kwan said seeing Fry laying in the dirt “kind of took the breath out of the sails” for the Guardians, but the players quickly rallied around their fallen teammate.
“He’s meant so much to us as a team and to see him go down like that, it’s really scary,” Kwan said. “Hopefully we get some good news.”