Braves Pitcher Jackson Stephens Takes Line Drive To The Forehead

There was a scary moment last night when Braves pitcher Jackson Stephens took a line drive straight to the forehead.

It happened in the ninth inning of Friday's 11-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Stephens threw a 95 mph four-seam fastball to Cardinals third baseman Brenden Donovan, who lined it straight back to him with an exit velocity of just over 90 mph.

The ball ricocheted off of Stephens' head and allowed one runner to score, but for obvious, most of the focus was on the Braves pitcher.

Somehow, Stephens managed to stay on his feet after taking the shot straight to the dome.

Jackson Stephens is built differently.

The Braves reliever walked off the field without assistance. Tyler Matzek took over on the hill and faced the final two batters of the game.

Stephens was taken to a hospital and after the game manager, Brian Snitker gave an update on his condition.

“He’s aware and everything but he’s going to have to go to the hospital and get some tests,” Snitker said. “It’s always scary when you see somebody get hit in the head, the face. That’s probably the most sickening thing you can witness in a game.”

More information came out on Saturday. While test showed that Stephens had a concussion, he did not have a skull fracture which was for obvious reasons a major concern,

Stephens is expected to be out of the lineup for at least the next week.

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