Dodgers News: Baez Hit In Head By Errant Throw

On Wednesday night, right-hander Pedro Baez was inadvertently struck in the back of the head with a baseball that was thrown by left-hander Adam Liberatore. According to Liberatore, the ball thrown by the recently called up Los Angeles Dodgers reliever was traveling around 70 miles per hour when it hit Baez. That left some to ponder the ramifications.

With the ongoing issues surrounding concussions and the heightened way that we are now aware of all the side effects that could stem from a blow to the head, the Dodgers were naturally cautious and held Baez out of the game that evening to make sure that there were no ill effects from the incident. It was the right thing to do.

From Doug Padilla, an ESPN dot com staff writer:

“We’re doing tests right now, so he was down [for the night],” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Baez’s status in the wake of the incident. “I talked to him, and he seems OK. It hit him square in the back of the head.”

The tests came back to reveal that Pedro Baez did not have a concussion. That’s obviously wonderful news. Baez did not pitch on Thursday, either, but then again he was ultimately not needed since Clayton Kershaw went eight innings, and the Dodgers immediately went to Chris Hatcher and Kenley Jansen thereafter.

There’s no word on when Baez might pitch next, but if he’s needed for Friday’s game in Colorado then he should be able to pitch since the concussion tests came back negative. We’re just glad to find out that he’s okay. After all, taking a pitch to the head, even at 70 miles per hour, could cause serious damage. Hopefully he’s fine.