Story highlights
A pitch hits Giancarlo Stanton in the face
Stanton has "facial fractures & dental damage," his team, the Miami Marlins, tweets
Pitcher Mike Fiers tweets that he is " deeply sorry about what happened"
Stanton has been frequently named as a contender for NL most valuable player
Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins – a contender for the National League’s most valuable player award – will apparently sit out the rest of the season after a pitched ball struck him in the face.
The impact shattered bones and caused tooth damage, according to the team.
The ball, thrown by Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Mike Fiers, hit Stanton during an at-bat in the fifth inning of Thursday night’s game in Milwaukee. It appeared to strike him on the left cheek, just below his eye.
Stanton fell to the ground, bleeding, and was taken from the field on a stretcher. The team later said on Twitter he’d suffered facial cuts, broken bones and tooth damage.
Marlins manager Mike Redmond said Stanton would be out for the rest of the year.
“It’s devastating for us. Devastating,” he told reporters in a Fox Sports Florida video posted on the team’s website. “I mean, for his season to end like that, that’s not good.”
Fiers, who hit another player after Stanton – sparking a bench-clearing altercation – was apologetic on Twitter:
Stanton, who has a .288 batting average, leads the National League with 37 home runs and 105 RBIs.