Mets pitcher Paul Blackburn hit by pitch, exits game after scary incident
New York Mets pitcher Paul Blackburn experienced a scary moment when he got struck on the right hand by a high-velocity line drive from San Diego Padres leftfielder David Peralta at Petco Park on Friday evening.
Blackburn had to be removed from the game, but he was fortunate that his hand got in the way inches before the ball hit him in the face. A video of the incident was uploaded by Mets' home broadcaster SNY TV on X.
Making his fifth start of the season for the Mets, Paul Blackburn was going through a rough outing, giving up three runs from two homers in the first couple of innings. The right-hander had thrown 55 pitches when he faced Wandy Peralta in the third inning with no outs and a runner on first base.
Three pitches later, Blackburn threw a backdoor slider on a 2-1 count, which ended up fairly over the middle of the plate. The left-handed Peralta connected squarely with the barrel, and the ball rocketed off his bat straight towards the mound. Blackburn had barely completed his pitching motion when the ball came right at his face, and he instinctively raised his hand up to protect himself.
The ball struck Paul Blackburn on the top of his right wrist and deflected off to the second baseman, who was able to throw the hitter out at first base. The pitcher sat down on the mound as catcher Francisco Alvarez and the training staff came to his aid.
Blackburn indicated where the ball hit him by pointing at his wrist, which had started to swell up immediately after impact.
No clear reports yet regarding extent of Paul Blackburn's injury
The medical trainer for the New York Mets closely examined the right wrist of Paul Blackburn, who could be seen grimacing.
While the pitcher showed some control over his grip, a hard blow to his throwing arm was considered too big a risk. Therefore, Blackburn was removed from the game, which the Mets eventually lost 7-0.
So far, there has been no major development regarding the injury to Blackburn. He's expected to undergo additional tests on Saturday, which would reveal the extent of the damage.
Blackburn was signed from the Oakland Athletics at the trade deadline. He had a 5-3 record with an ERA of 4.19 for the season before his latest start.