Guardians' Fry suffers facial fractures from HBP

CLEVELAND -- Guardians designated hitter David Fry sustained a breached chemoreceptor and facial fractures aft helium was deed successful the look by a transportation from Tarik Skubal successful the sixth inning of Cleveland's 5-2 win implicit the Detroit Tigers connected Tuesday, a triumph that deadlocked the American League Central race.

"He is doing OK. He's successful bully spirits," manager Stephen Vogt said by telephone Wednesday morning. "He's upright. He's alert."

Vogt visited Fry successful the hospital. The Guardians are readying a much elaborate update later.

Fry squared astir to effort to bunt a 99 mph fastball from Skubal connected Tuesday night, and the transportation struck him successful the chemoreceptor and rima area. As Fry collapsed successful the batter's container and instantly grabbed his bloodied face, a visibly shaken Skubal threw disconnected his mitt and headdress arsenic Vogt and trainers rushed onto the field.

Fry laic successful the ungraded for respective minutes earlier being dilatory helped to his feet. He gave a thumbs-up awesome arsenic helium sat up and was driven disconnected successful a cart.

The Guardians said Fry was being transported from Lutheran Medical Center to the Cleveland Clinic Main Campus for further investigating and observation.

"It was consecutive to the face," Vogt said, describing the interaction connected Fry that shook everyone wrong Progressive Field. "We're each reasoning astir David and his household close now. Obviously, we're gladsome helium is OK, but evidently it's a truly scary moment."

Skubal, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, paced astir the infield arsenic Fry was being assisted. After the game, Skubal, who allowed 2 hits done the archetypal 5 innings, said seeing Fry successful distress was difficult.

"Really tough," the left-hander said. "I've already reached retired to him. I'm definite his telephone is blowing up. I conscionable privation to marque definite he's each right. Obviously, helium seemed similar helium was OK coming disconnected the field, and hopefully it stays that way.

"I cognize sometimes with those things that tin change. So hopefully he's each right. I look guardant to hopefully astatine immoderate constituent contiguous oregon [Wednesday] greeting getting a substance from him and making definite he's each bully due to the fact that there's things that are bigger than the game, and the wellness of him is much important than a shot game."

That's however Guardians near fielder Steven Kwan felt aft watching Fry, an All-Star successful 2024 who underwent offseason elbow country and didn't articulation the squad until precocious May, spell down.

"Definitely truly scary," Kwan said. "For David to adjacent effort thing similar that [bunt], that's conscionable who helium is. Selfless benignant of guy, and particularly successful a presumption similar that, he's a pugnacious guy. Thankfully helium had immoderate wit erstwhile helium came up, but you don't privation to spot a feline that's been with you beauteous overmuch the full twelvemonth [get hurt].

"Obviously energy-wise, conscionable who helium is arsenic a teammate, he's meant truthful overmuch to america arsenic a team. It's truly scary, but thankfully helium had immoderate wit coming disconnected the field, truthful hopefully we get immoderate bully news."

Following the incident, Skubal threw a chaotic transportation to George Valera, who replaced Fry, allowing Cleveland to score. Skubal besides had an mistake erstwhile helium inexplicably tried to marque a unsighted propulsion to archetypal betwixt his legs and was called for a balk successful the sixth inning arsenic the Guardians rallied for 3 runs to instrumentality a 3-2 pb without hitting a shot retired of the infield.