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Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman was fortunate to escape without any major damage after getting hit on the head by an errant pitch from Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Michael Mercado on Tuesday afternoon. Despite getting knocked down to the turf, the batting helmet fully protected Bregman from a serious head injury, and he carried on with the game.
Fox Sports MLB posted a short clip of the incident on X, formerly Twitter.
Bregman stepped up to the plate in the seventh inning with no outs on the board after Yordan Alvarez had given the Astros a 7-0 lead with a leadoff solo home run in the previous at-bat. Meanwhile, the Phillies had Mercado on the mound to pitch in relief for Taijuan Walker, who completed the first six innings.
On the first pitch of the at-bat, Mercado threw an 88-mph slider, which slipped right out of his hand and struck Bregman on the head before the batter could get out of the way. The Astros slugger instantly went to the ground, while Phillies catcher Garrett Stubbs immediately jumped up to check if the batter was hurt.
Although the event looked quite nerve-racking, Bregman was well protected by the batting helmet even though he was knocked down by the impact. He sat on the ground for a moment to collect himself before getting up and jogging to first base. At the same time, the pitcher offered him an apology, which cleared away any suspicions as to whether it was in retaliation for the home run.
Alex Bregman continued on the field after getting hit
Despite taking a knock to the head, Alex Bregman remained in the game until the end of the inning when he was substituted by Shay Whitcomb in defense for the rest of the game. Bregman went 2-for-3 on Tuesday afternoon and is batting .259/.314/.444 for the season with 21 home runs and 61 RBIs.
Meanwhile, the Houston Astros earned a 10-0 blowout win, but the Philadelphia Phillies had already claimed the three-game series at Citizens Bank Park. Nevertheless, it allows the Astros to maintain their 3.5-game advantage over the Seattle Mariners in the American League West. They will host the Kansas City Royals next at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday evening.
