MILWAUKEE — Brewers shortstop Willy Adames was taken to the hospital after getting hit by a foul ball off the bat of teammate Brian Anderson while in the dugout during Milwaukee’s game against the San Francisco Giants on Friday night.
Anderson was batting in the bottom of the second inning when he hit a line drive that struck Adames. Video appeared to show that Adames was hit in the head or face. Brewers manager Craig Counsell said after his team’s 15-1 loss that tests revealed no fractures.
“He was alert and responsive as he left, and then we got pretty good news at the hospital, too,” Counsell said. “Obviously, he’s in pain. But I think overall I think not bad news, considering how scary it was.”
Counsell said Adames would remain in the hospital overnight “just for monitoring purposes” and would get placed on the injured list.
“Anticipate him being released tomorrow morning,” Counsell said. “It’ll be a concussion. It’ll be an IL.”
The game was stopped for a few minutes to allow Milwaukee’s training staff to attend to Adames as he sat on the bench. Anderson’s concern was apparent on his face as he waited from near the batter’s box.
“Initially from the sound it made, I thought it hit the cushioned pad,” said Brewers infielder Mike Brosseau, who was on deck at the time. “The way they reacted to it, you’re getting scared, and then after a couple of seconds of them being on the bench, I realized it was a little more serious than that. I heard it more than I saw it.
“It’s a one-in-a-million chance,” Brosseau added. “It’s just scary. I don’t know how hard BA hit that ball but I know it was coming off hot. To make direct contact like that, yeah, it’s really bad to see.”
The situation seemed to impact the Brewers emotionally the rest of the night.
After Brice Turang replaced Adames at shortstop, Milwaukee committed two errors and allowed seven runs in the top of the third inning as the Giants broke the game open. Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta, who is close friends with Adames, gave up a career-high 10 runs.
“It’s hard to see somebody that you love having that moment,” Peralta said.
Adames has been one of the Brewers’ emotional leaders and most popular players since they acquired him from the Tampa Bay Rays in May 2021. He has been named the team’s most valuable player by the Milwaukee chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America each of the last two seasons.
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