PHOENIX (AP) - Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Chris Iannetta has several stitches in his upper lip, plus a couple of fractured teeth and a broken nose after getting hit in the face by a fastball.
“He’s doing OK,” manager Torey Lovullo said Saturday, “and I think we’re all lucky and fortunate for that.”
Iannetta was struck by a 93 mph pitch from Pittsburgh reliever Johnny Barbato in the seventh inning Friday night.
Lovullo said Saturday tests for a concussion were negative and that Iannetta was still being monitored.
“We’re still trying to drill down to making sure everything is OK,” Lovullo said.
There is a history of such incidents between the two teams, but Lovullo said that he does not believe the Pirates were trying to hit Iannetta.
“There’s a strategy to pitching in and there’s a need for pitching in,” Lovullo said, “and by no means do I think anybody tried to hit Chris Iannetta in the face yesterday. For me, that’s why it’s a non-issue.”
Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle says he feels “horrible” about what happened and has reached out to Iannetta. Hurdle was Iannetta’s first manager in the majors, in 2006 with the Colorado Rockies.
“It’s not a part of the game anybody likes,” Hurdle said. “When I say that, it sounds light because I have no idea what he felt. I have no idea how they felt. I’ve been on the other side. It’s a part of the game that’s hard, really hard.”
Lovullo, speaking Saturday before the Diamondbacks and Pirates met in the third game of a four-game series, said Iannetta returned to the ballpark from the hospital at 1:15 a.m.
Barbato said he and Iannetta had exchanged texts and there were no hard feelings.
Lovullo, speaking Saturday before the Diamondbacks and Pirates met in the third game of a four-game series, said Iannetta returned to the ballpark from the hospital at 1:15 a.m.
“He’s eager to play, said he could play tonight if he had to,” Lovullo said, “but obviously that’s not going to happen.”
The manager said it’s not been decided whether Iannetta will go on the 10-day disabled list. The Diamondbacks have two other catchers - Chris Herrmann and Jeff Mathis.
Mathis was in the lineup Saturday night against the Pirates.
Pittsburgh lost 11-4 Friday night, running its losing streak to six games.
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