Giant catcher Buster Posey hit in the head by pitch (video)
The home opener is a celebratory occasion, but the San Francisco Giants lost catcher Buster Posey very early in Monday’s game.
After opening the season with a 2-5 road trip, the San Francisco Giants we surely glad to come home to AT&T park on Monday. But with two outs in the bottom of the first inning, with Denard Span on third base, catcher Buster Posey came to the plate.
Posey entered Monday’s game hitting .333 (7-for-21) with a home run, two RBI and four runs scored so far this season, so he was good bet (as always) to drive in Span with a timely hit. Arizona Diamondbacks starter Taijuan Walker got ahead in the count 0-1, but then things quickly turned scary for Posey and the Giants.
Buster Posey hit in head with pitch, leaves field under his own power with trainer pic.twitter.com/CVgr6l7y8y
— KNBR (@KNBR) April 10, 2017
Walker just hit Posey in the helmet with a pitch. He's down, but sitting up. #sfgiants
— Henry Schulman BLUE CHECK MARK (@hankschulman) April 10, 2017
Posey is coming out of the game. #sfgiants
— Henry Schulman BLUE CHECK MARK (@hankschulman) April 10, 2017
Posey was hit in the head by a 94 MPH fastball from Walker, in what clearly had to be an accident. Trainer Dave Groeschner and Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy rushed to Posey’s side, and he was immediately removed from the game. Nick Hundley took Posey’s place in the game, and seemed to take a step to squash the situation with Walker when the Arizona starter came to bat.
Hundley just chatted with Walker near the plate. It was clear it was a "hey, we know it was an accident" sort of talk. #SFGiants
— Henry Schulman BLUE CHECK MARK (@hankschulman) April 10, 2017
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An official update on Posey is likely to come after the game, but he seems sure to enter concussion protocol and miss at least a game or two. A long-term absence can’t be ruled out based on the fickle nature of head injuries, with the extra risk of Posey primarily playing catcher to add a layer of precautions.