Another professional baseball player lets a fly ball bounce off his head
It’s not been a great week for MLB outfielders.
Days after Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Derek Fisher left a game with a “facial contusion” when a routine fly ball landed on his face, Baltimore Orioles outfielder DJ Stewart tried to one-up his AL East rival.
With Cameron Maybin on first with no outs in the top of the fourth inning, Yankees first baseman Mike Ford hit a high fly ball to shallow left field off of Orioles starter Asher Wojciechowski.
Ball bounces off of Stewart’s head
Stewart sprinted from deep left to make a play on the ball. He was not successful in his effort.
Stewart fell as he chased down the fly ball, extending his glove in an effort to salvage the play.
The ball did not make contact with the glove. Instead it bounced squarely off the side of his head near his left temple. The ball rolled away, allowing Maybin to reach third and Ford second.
Double to shallow left
Unfortunately for Wojciechowski, the play was ruled a double to shallow left. Ford and Maybin both scored to give the Yankees a 5-2 lead and end Wojciechowski’s night in the best summation of the Yankees-Orioles series this season that doesn’t involve a Yankees home run.
As for Stewart, he did not take his turn at the plate in the bottom of the inning, when he was replaced by Jace Peterson. Manager Brandon Hyde told reporters after the game that Stewart suffered a concussion.
It begs the question of which was worse for Peterson — the physical pain or the embarrassment of the play?
Shades of Fisher’s mishap
It’s a question that was also valid for Fisher on Saturday.
Talk about a (wait for it) cheeky play by Derek Fisher.pic.twitter.com/11xUmdFvss
— Yahoo Sports Canada (@YahooCASports) August 3, 2019
The pair of misplays also raise another question.
Who did it better?
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