Mets’ Kevin Pillar exits after taking fastball to the face Monday vs. Braves
Pillar #Pillar
Scary moment at Truist Park on Monday night. New York Mets outfielder Kevin Pillar took a 94.5 mph fastball to the face from Atlanta Braves reliever Jacob Webb in the seventh inning of their series opener (GameTracker). It was a direct hit — Pillar didn’t have time to turn his head — and he fell to the ground bleeding immediately.
Here’s the hit by pitch. This is as scary as it gets:
Pillar was able to walk off the field under his own power. The team has not yet released an update on his status.
The Mets have been hit hard by injuries lately. Michael Conforto and Jeff McNeil landed on the injured list with hamstring issues earlier Monday, and they were already without Albert Almora (shoulder), JD Davis (finger), Luis Guillorme (oblique), and Brandon Nimmo (dinger). Taijuan Walker exited Monday’s start after three innings with side soreness as well.
Pillar, 32, signed a two-year contract with the Mets this past offseason. He went into Monday’s game hitting .247/.284/.377 in 27 games.