The ball that left Giancarlo Stanton’s bat, which evidently hit Masahiro Tanaka in the head on a comebacker was soaring at 112 mph. The New York Yankees starting pitcher has never encountered anything as deadly or scary on the mound, and the reaction from Stanton tells the entire story.
The behemoth slugger instantly dropped to the ground in despair, worried for his teammate who was just left motionless in a clump on the mound. Luckily for Stanton, Tanaka is one tough son of a gun, as his concussion symptoms quickly alleviated at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
Tanaka was able to go home that very night after scans came back clean and his symptoms tapered off. It is miraculous that the hit to the head didn’t cause a serious injury. Stanton ranks among the top of the league in exit velocity consistently, given his muscular physique and bodybuilder size.
Follow our New York Yankees Facebook page for news stories, updates, and VIRAL content!
Aaron Boone said that Masahiro Tanaka was diagnosed with a mild concussion, but he is symptom free and in good spirits.
— Bryan Hoch ?? (@BryanHoch) July 5, 2020
The New York Yankees and Tanaka escape severe injury
For a pitcher, let alone any human being, being hit in the head by a projectile at 112 mph can be a death sentence. The 31-year-old Japanese born player managed to walk off the field under his own power.
Manager Aaron Boone confirmed that the CT scan came back negative, giving Tanaka a second chance at life. This occurred on the very first day of official spring training 2.0 activity. With Opening Dat projected to start in late July, Tanaka will be looking to return to his normal role in the coming days. He actually was present at Yankee Stadium just 24-hours later.
“I appreciate all the support,†Tanaka tweeted a few hours after being struck. “I feel it a bit right now, but I’m all good. Going to try to get back on the mound ASAP! Thanks again for all the encouraging words!â€
The Yankees simply can’t find a way to avoid the injury bug, as both DJ LeMahieu and Luis Cessa both contracted COVID-19. Remaining isolated and healing, the Yankees will hopefully have their star players available for the start of the regular season, which will only be 60 games.