CLEVELAND (AP) – A split-second after throwing a pitch, Carlos Carrasco was face down in the dirt, motionless on the edge of the mound.
As Indians manager Terry Francona left the dugout to check his injured starter, he braced himself for the worst. At that moment, nothing mattered but his player’s well-being.
“That’s not a good feeling,” Francona said. “When he’s just laying there, man, that’s scary.”
Carrasco was struck in the face by a line drive in the first inning but only sustained a bruised jaw, and Chicago’s Jose Quintana pitched six strong innings, leading the White Sox to a 4-1 win on Tuesday night.
Cleveland’s No. 2 starter, Carrasco was knocked off his feet when Melky Cabrera – the second hitter – rocketed a shot up the middle that slammed the right side of the right-hander’s face. Carrasco (1-1) luckily got a piece of his glove on the ball before it smashed him.