Giancarlo Stanton, at bat in the top of the fifth, took an 88 miles-per-hour fastball to the face Thursday night. Brewers righty Mike Fiers threw the pitch.
The Marlins slugger stayed down for several minutes in the aftermath of the errant pitch making impact. Stanton, laid out on a stretcher, left the field on a golf-cart ambulance to a standing ovation from Milwaukee fans.
Stanton suffered a laceration on left side of face. Is having X-rays and CT scan at a local hospital #Marlins
— clarkspencer (@clarkspencer) September 12, 2014
Redmond on Stanton injury: “We’ve lost our MVP.” #marlins
— clarkspencer (@clarkspencer) September 12, 2014
Redmond said it “doesn’t look good” as far as Stanton returning this season.
— clarkspencer (@clarkspencer) September 12, 2014
To add insult to injury, the umpire ruled that Stanton swung on the pitch. Rather than awarding him a base, the umpire ruled the pitch a strike. Fiers beaned the pinch hitter, the ump again ruled a swing, benches cleared, and ejections came to both managers. The Brewers pitcher, clearly shaken by the incident, nevertheless snagged the decision in the 4-2 Brewers victory.
Stanton, boasting 37 home runs, 105 RBI, and a .287 batting average, enjoyed an MVP caliber season until Thursday night’s rude conclusion to it.