ALTOONA, Pa. – After being hit in the face with a 94 MPH fastball on Wednesday afternoon in Richmond, Kevin Newman has been cleared to play on Friday in Altoona.
Newman, listed as the number three prospect in our Pirates Prospects 2017 Prospect Guide, was the second batter of the game in the first inning when he was hit by Richmond’s Sam Coonrod. Newman stayed down on one knee while being attended to; however, he was able to walk off of the field on him own.
Curve manager Michael Ryan reported after the game that Newman was taken to a local hospital for tests after the HBP, but he was only diagnosed with a forehead contusion (no concussion). Additional tests today concluded that Newman was ready to go.
“Everything was cleared with Newman,” Ryan said. “He’ll be ready to go, and he’ll play tomorrow.”
Talking with Newman after Thursday night’s game, he said that felt extremely fortunate that it wasn’t a worse situation. Although you can see a slight mark above his left eyebrow, swelling is minimal, and it honestly did not look too bad this evening.
“Thankfully, we’re good to go, and I’ll be back out there tomorrow,” said Kevin Newman.
Oddly enough, this wasn’t the first time he was hit in the face with a fastball, as he had his orbital bone broken last year due to a fastball to the face (while playing for Bradenton). He had a feeling right away that this wasn’t the same type of situation.
“I knew it wasn’t as bad as the first time,” Newman said, speaking about last year’s incident. “I was just frustrated and thinking ‘dang, why again?’ But it’s a lot better this time, obviously.”
Newman and the Pirates have avoided a substantial loss with this positive outcome, and I wouldn’t expect any lasting effects for him moving forward.
Note: Baseball America was present for the game in Richmond and took video of the HBP. I will link to the video here; however, be aware that it is disturbing.
