Jason Heyward Hit By Pitch in Jaw

It is a site that no one ever wants to see. Jason Heyward rolling on the ground in pain after being hit by a 90 MPH pitch to the face. Heyward and the Atlanta Braves were in New York to play an afternoon game against NL East rival, New York Mets.  Heyward stepped to the plate and waited for starting pitcher Jon Niese to throw a pitch.  The pitch he delivered was up and in and made direct contact with Heyward’s jaw.  The ball hit him with such an impact that the crowd could hear it.  With the trainer and Braves’ manager, Freddi Gonzalez, on the field, Heyward was able to get up on his own and walk off the field.

Mets’ catcher John Buck describes being that close to the scene, “Scary, to be honest.  You don’t ever want to hit anyone in the head. Saw him spitting up blood; that was even scarier.”   It was clear that it was unintentional as Niese felt awful after watching Heyward go down like that.  Heyward was taken to the hospital shortly after being hit.  However, after Ryan Dempster was suspended for throwing at Alex Rodriguez, a suspension could still be possible. Hopefully it is nothing too serious and Heyward will not be forced to miss too much time.  The Braves went on to win the game in the 10th inning, 4-1.

After being examined at a New York hospital, Heyward was diagnosed with a fractured jaw and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.