Drafted, then knocked out by a 14-homer slugger’s head shot…LAA raises red flags for fall baseball
Without Mike Trout, the Angels lost Taylor Ward to injury.
The Los Angeles Angels dropped a 1-6 decision to the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. What happened in the game was even worse than the loss. Ward went down after taking a ball to the head.
Ward, who was batting fourth and playing left field, went 0-for-2 with one RBI before being removed. In the bottom of the fifth inning, with the bases loaded, he was hit in the face by a 91.7-mph sinker on a three-pitch at-bat from Alec Manoa. Ward crumpled to the ground, clutching his face.
Manoa, who threw the ball, was also clutching his head. Shohei Ohtani, who was at second base, looked stunned, and Ward looked at him with concern. With his face covered in blood, Ward was unable to get back to his feet and was eventually helped off the field by the coaching staff.
MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, also highlighted Ward’s injury. “The Angels are fighting to stay in the American League wild-card picture. But they suffered more than just a loss to Toronto. Ward was hit by Manoa’s sinkerball. It was a particularly painful game for the Angels.”
Ward was a high-sensitivity hitter for the Angels. With Trout on the disabled list with a fractured fibula, Ward has been the center fielder. In 97 games this year, he’s hit 14 home runs, batted .253 with a .421 on-base percentage. His July numbers were even better. In 20 games, he batted .304 with a .424 on-base percentage and .421 slugging percentage.
“Ward has been the Angels’ hottest hitter of late, and he was taken to the hospital for a checkup after the game,” MLB.com reported. Angels manager Phil Nevin expressed concern, saying, “Ward’s departure complicates things.”온라인바카
Manoa responded, “That’s really sad. We’ll see how he’s doing. I hope he recovers quickly and gets back on the field,” Manoa said, expressing his sympathy for Ward.
Without Ward, the Angels’ batting order will be much lighter. In addition to Trout, Anthony Rendon is also out with an injury. The Angels will be without three key players. This is the last year they have Ohtani. The Angels’ postseason hopes are in jeopardy.