Guardians’ David Fry carted off field after being hit in face by pitch while trying to bunt

CLEVELAND (AP) — Guardians designated hitter David Fry was carted off the field in the sixth inning of Tuesday night’s 5-2 win over the Tigers after being hit in the face by a pitch as he tried to bunt.

Fry squared around on a 99 mph fastball from Detroit’s Tarik Skubal and the pitch struck him in the nose and mouth area before deflecting off his bat.

As Fry collapsed in the batter’s box and grabbed his face, a visibly shaken Skubal threw off his glove and cap as Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt and trainers rushed onto the field.

Fry laid in the batter’s box for several minutes before being slowly helped to his feet. He was driven off in a cart, and the Guardians later said he was being assessed at Lutheran Medical Center.

Skubal, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, paced around the infield as Fry was being helped. The left-hander then threw a wild pitch to George Valera, who replaced Fry, allowing Cleveland to score. Skubal was also called for a balk in the inning as the Guardians rallied for three runs to take a 3-2 lead.

With the win, Cleveland moved into a tie with Detroit for first place in the AL Central. The Guardians were 15 1/2 games behind the Tigers on July 8 and still 12 1/2 games back on Aug. 25.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb