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Nationals Pitcher’s MLB Debut Took a Painful Turn When Catcher Fired a Ball Off His Head

The right-hander was beaned in the head by his catcher, who was trying to throw a runner out at second base.

Andy Nesbitt

Nationals Pitcher’s MLB Debut Took a Painful Turn When Catcher Fired a Ball Off His Head
Nationals Pitcher’s MLB Debut Took a Painful Turn When Catcher Fired a Ball Off His Head /
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Nationals right-handed pitcher Jackson Rutledge will never forget his MLB debut, and it won’t be because of the seven runs he gave up in just over three innings of work, but rather because of what his catcher did to him in the fourth inning. 

This was something we have never seen before, and thankfully Rutledge was able to stay in the game after it happened. In case you missed it, the 6’8'' pitcher tried to duck out of the way of rookie catcher Drew Millas’s throw to second base but the ball struck him in the head and flew all the way out to shallow right field.

Thankfully Rutledge was O.K. and faced two more Pirates hitters after this happened:

Rutledge had this to stay after the game, via The Washington Post.  

“In AA and AAA, he’s thrown out a lot of guys for me,” Rutledge said of the throw from rookie Drew Millas, who hit his first career homer in the game. “And then I heard the ball coming at me. I got to work on getting out of the way a little more. I’m okay, so we’re good there. … But yeah, just weird. Weird day.”

MLB fans and media members had reactions: 

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Andy Nesbitt
ANDY NESBITT

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.

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