Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Chris Iannetta was forced to exit Friday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates after getting hit in the mouth with a 93 MPH fastball from reliever Johnny Barbato.
The entire episode was stomach-churning. Iannetta immediately began pouring blood from his face and it was evident that his injuries were severe. And while he was able to walk off under his own power, Iannetta was promptly put into an ambulance and taken to the hospital.
OUCH! Chris Iannetta exits after getting hit in the face by the pitch! pic.twitter.com/hGpfpyLXbv
— TheRenderMLB (@TheRenderMLB) May 13, 2017
On Saturday, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo revealed that Iannetta had suffered fractured teeth, a broken nose and required quite a few stitches. Overall however, Lovullo said the catcher was doing “OK.”
“He’s doing OK, and I think we’re all lucky and fortunate for that,” Lovullo said via ESPN. “We’re still trying to drill down to making sure everything is OK.”
The good news is that Iannetta tested negative for a concussion, although the team will continue to monitor him. It’s unclear if he’ll land on the 10-day disabled list as the result of his injuries, but it seems more likely than not.
“He’s eager to play, said he could play tonight if he had to,” Lovullo said, “but obviously that’s not going to happen.”
