Scary Scene At The Stadium: Yankees Rookie Takes Line Drive To Face

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Yankees rookie pitcher Bryan Mitchell sustained a nasal fracture when he was hit in the head by a line drive Monday night, forcing him off the field with a towel over his bloody face.

The injury occurred in the second inning and Mitchell was taken to a hospital. In the sixth, the Yankees said he had been released from the hospital and would be monitored for the possibility of concussion symptoms.

"I saw him here after the game for a minute and it seemed like he was doing fine," Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner said following New York's 8-7 win.
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Mitchell was struck by a liner off the bat of Eduardo Nunez of the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium.

The 24-year-old pitcher was knocked down, and the ball caromed into center field for an RBI single. The Yankees and their medical staff quickly rushed to the mound.

"You're sick, sick to your stomach, praying for the best," catcher Brian McCann said. "You're just hoping for the best outcome. When I went out there, I was like, 'Are you all right?' And he said, 'I'm all right, I just need to get off the field.' So it was good that he was responsive."

Mitchell was on his knees for over a minute, then two trainers flanked him as he walked off. Mitchell needed help getting down the dugout steps because the towel was covering his face.

"It's really scary," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "It seems like your heart just drops into your stomach, and you're scared for the kid. You see blood coming out. He has a small hairline fracture in his nose, and we're going to monitor him pretty closely for the next 24 hours. But he's back in the clubhouse, and that's good to see."

Nunez, players on the both teams and the crowd applauded as Mitchell exited his third major league start.

"I feel bad for him," said Nunez, who once played with Mitchell in the Yankees' minor leagues. "You don't wish that on anybody. I hope everything is OK for him. I hope to see him soon again. I was very scared. Once I saw him on the mound bleeding I was very scared for him. Hopefully he's OK and will get better soon."

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