Count this one among the most freak injuries you’ll ever see on a baseball field.
Colorado Rockies designated hitter Charlie Blackmon was minding his own business running to first base in Friday’s game against the San Diego Padres when the throw from infielder Xander Bogaerts ricocheted off his arm — then struck his left eye.
Blackmon was checked on by assistant athletic trainer Heath Townsend, who administered a vision test, along with manager Bud Black. They removed Blackmon from the game with what the Rockies called a left-eye contusion.
In the moment, it looked just as bad as it sounded.
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The crazy part? One day later, Blackmon has still managed to avoid the injured list. He reported to Petco Park in San Diego on Saturday on the off chance he could be back in the lineup without missing a game.
Speaking to SportRelay.com, Blackmon’s description of the injury sounded horrific: “It felt like my eye exploded,” he said.
Blackmon, a fast runner, was going to be difficult to retire on the chopped ground ball between first and second base in the third inning of Friday’s game. Bogaerts, who had played shortstop prior to this season, appeared to sidearm the throw to Jake Cronenworth.
The throw missed Cronenworth’s outstretched glove, hit Blackmon in the head, and then caromed smack-dab into his face, striking his eye. The 38-year-old immediately crumpled in a heap.
After the game, Blackmon told SportRadar.com “I feel pretty good,” noting that the ball didn’t hit him “all that hard” by the time it reached his eye.
“I think I got lucky, to be honest,” he said.
Blackmon is hitting .255 with a .736 OPS this season. He’s in his 14th major league season, all with the Rockies.
Rockies Outfielder Named Player of the Month
Rockies outfielder Brenton Doyle was named the National League Player of the Month for July on Saturday.
The 26-year-old hit .333 (30-for-90) with 11 homers, 27 RBI, seven doubles, a triple, nine walks, 15 runs scored, two stolen bases, a .800 slugging percentage, and a .394 on-base percentage in 25 games last month.
The Virginia native led the Majors in extra-base hits (19); tied for the Major League lead in homers; tied for second in RBIs; tied for third in total bases (72); and ranked fourth in slugging and OPS (1.194).
A Gold Glove award winner last year, Doyle became the first Colorado player to hit at least 11 homers within a month since C.J. Cron in Aug. 2021.
Doyle collected hits in seven straight contests from July 12-22.