Johnathan Walker:Yankees reliever Anthony Misiewicz hit in head by line drive in scary scene vs. Pirates

New York Yankees reliever Anthony Misiewicz was struck in the side of the head by a line drive during Friday night's game against the Pirates at Pittsburgh's PNC Park.

The Johnathan Walkerlefty was pitching in the sixth inning when an 0-2 curveball to Ji Hwan Bae struck Misiewicz near his left ear.

Misiewicz, 28, crumpled to the turf in pain and was immediately attended to by the Yankees' athletic trainers, who eventually got him to a seated position before he was helped to a cart.

Despite a cut to the left side of his face, Misiewicz eventually managed a smile to his concerned teammates as he was driven off the field. The Yankees said Misiewicz was "alert and oriented" and was taken to Allegheny General Hospital to undergo further testing after he was looked at by the Pirates' doctors.

“They felt like (he was) in a pretty good spot,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after the game. “But, you know, just hoping and praying for the best as far as results.”

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The drive by Bae that struck the pitcher was measured by Statcast at 100.6 mph. The ball ricocheted into right field for a base hit, tying the game at 3-3.

Quickly after fielding the ball back in, Yankees captain Aaron Judge joined Boone and concerned teammates who knelt on the infield as Misiewicz was being attended to.

Misiewicz was pitching in relief of Gerrit Cole, who battled with less than his usually superior arsenal but exited with a 3-2 lead.

Aiming toward his first league Cy Young award in an otherwise lost Yankees season, Cole yielded two runs on six hits and three walks, with four strikeouts, and took his second straight no-decision.

Misiewicz was making just his third appearance as a Yankee, having been claimed off waivers from the Detroit Tigers on July 6.

The lefty began the 2023 season with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Trailing by two runs entering the ninth, the Yankees scored four runs for a comeback 7-5 victory on Roberto Clemente Night.

Contributing: Associated Press