Texas Rangers baseball star Willie Calhoun has been hospitalized after he was struck face by 95mph fastball during Sunday's Cactus League game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 25-year-old outfielder was unfortunately hit by a hard pitch from Dodgers' Julio Urias during the first inning of the game.
Play was suspended for approximately 10 minutes after Calhoun was hit, as the star remained on the ground for several minutes.
Check out the heart-stopping moment below (Warning: Some viewers may find it upsetting):Trainers and coaches rushed over to attend to the player, who managed to make it to his knees as he remained bent over near the home plate.
Calhoun's face was quickly covered in a towel and he was, fortunately, able to walk to a medical cart with assistance. The young star was later transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital, with Rangers manager Chris Woodward and general manager Jon Daniels following in a separate car.
Speaking out about the incident, Texas Rangers teammate Joey Gallo - who was on deck at the time - revealed that Calhoun was struggling to communicate following the incident. The baseball star told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
"He didn’t really say anything. He didn’t answer. He was definitely moaning and his mouth was really hurting. I think he was hearing [us] but he really couldn’t get anything out.
"It’s tough because I’m really really close with Willie. He’s one of my best friends, so to see that happen and him go down like that, it was really, really tough to see that.
"I just tried to be there for him and make sure he knew we were all around him and trying to help him and just praying that he’s OK."
Here is another angle of the devastating shot:John Blake, the Executive Vice President of Communications for the Texas Rangers, later revealed in a tweet that Calhoun suffered a fractured jaw.
Blake informed fans on Twitter: "Update on Willie Calhoun who was hit in the mouth area by a Julio Urias pitch in today’s game. A CT scan and examination revealed he has a fracture of his jaw. He is expected to undergo further evaluation on Monday."
