Colorado Rockies designated hitter Charlie Blackmon exited Friday night’s game against San Diego after sustaining a bruised left eye. The injury occurred when he was struck on the left wrist and face by an errant throw from Padres second baseman Xander Bogaerts.
Blackmon was sprinting to first base on a grounder when the throw hit him, causing the ball to deflect off his arm and strike his eye. He immediately removed his helmet and clutched his face in pain before collapsing. He received medical attention for several minutes as his eye began to swell. Eventually, he walked off the field and was substituted by Hunter Goodman.
After the game, Blackmon commented, “It’s better now. I feel better. It felt like my eye exploded. I think I got lucky, to be honest. It could have hit me with more force, but it didn’t really hit me that hard.”
Manager Bud Black noted, “I wouldn’t compare it to a bout with Floyd Patterson, but he definitely took a solid hit to the eye. The swelling started right away, but it seems to have reduced a bit after the game.”
Black added, “He’s tough. He’ll probably want to play tomorrow, but we’ll have to see how he feels.”
At the time of the injury, Blackmon was batting .255 with seven home runs.
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