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Mike Trout Had Baseball Fans Terrified After Getting Hit on Hand in First At-Bat

Tim Capurso

Trout is hit by a pitch in his first at-bat of the 2025 season.
Trout is hit by a pitch in his first at-bat of the 2025 season. / Screengrab Twitter @TalkinBaseball_
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MLB fans, at least those who were able to watch given MLB.TV's ill-timed outage, were dealt a scare when three-time American League MVP Mike Trout was hit by a pitch on his first at-bat of the 2025 season.

In the top of the first inning with one on and one out, Trout stepped to the plate, took a fastball for a ball, then swung through a slider to even the count at 1-1. Then, White Sox pitcher Sean Burke delivered a high-and-inside fastball that veered a bit too close to Trout and hit the Los Angeles Angels superstar on the hand. Trout shook his hand in frustration, then waved off manager Ron Washington and the club's trainer as he walked to first base, indicating that he was alright.

MLB fans, knowing Trout's recent injury history, couldn't believe the Angel's star's misfortune.

Trout enjoyed one of the best starts to a career of any player in MLB history, winning three MVP awards while finishing second in the voting three more times in his first eight seasons. Excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Trout has not played 130 or more games since 2019. In '21, a calf strain limited him to just 36 games played. The following season, he dealt with back inflammation. A broken hamate bone in his left hand cut his '23 season short, then a torn—and re-torn—meniscus ended his '24 season early.

Trout was able to remain in the game, but what a scare it was to start the season.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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