Here's What Rangers Manager Bruce Bochy Had to Say About the Josh Smith Injury

Texas Rangers left fielder Josh Smith was hit in the face by Baltimore Orioles pitcher Danny Coulumbe on Monday night. He was hospitalized and had a CT scan, which came back clean, according to manager Bruce Bochy.
Here's What Rangers Manager Bruce Bochy Had to Say About the Josh Smith Injury
Here's What Rangers Manager Bruce Bochy Had to Say About the Josh Smith Injury /

A scary moment unfolded on Monday night in the Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles game as Rangers utility player Josh Smith was hit by a pitch in the face. Lefty Danny Coulumbe was on the mound for Baltimore and lost control of an 89 mph fastball that hit Smith's right cheek and jaw area.

Smith was able to walk off the field under his own power. After the game, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said that Smith was taken to a hospital where he had a CT scan.

"He got hit in the lower jaw. We took him to the ER, he had some CT tests and they came out clean. So we got good news there, he's feeling better as I'm speaking right now. Tomorrow (Tuesday), we'll re-evaluate him and see where we're at." 

Smith, 25, made his major league debut last season, playing in 73 games. He hit .197 with two home runs, 16 RBI and three stolen bases.

He was starting in left field on Monday night against Baltimore and was replaced in that first at-bat by Ezekiel Duran in the third inning. 

The Rangers lost the game, 2-0, to suffer their first loss of the season. The game featured a solo home run from Orioles star prospect Gunnar Henderson.

The Smith injury wasn't the only scary moment in the game. Orioles pitcher Kyle Bradish was removed in the second inning after taking a 104 mph line drive off the lower leg.

The two teams play again Tuesday at 8:05 p.m. ET. 


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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.