Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Chris Jakubauskas ((pictured, thanks Bob Levey/Getty)) was hit in the face by Lance Berkman's line drive in the first inning of Saturday's game in Houston and was carted off the field.
Berkman drove a 1-0 pitch back to the mound and hit Jakubauskas in the head. He fell and the ball bounced all the way back to catcher Jason Jaramillo.
Medical staffs from both teams ran to the mound as Jakubauskas stayed down, repeatedly kicking the dirt in obvious pain. Berkman ran to the mound, joining all of the Pirates infielders.
"I just wanted to pray for him," Berkman said. "That's a scary situation. That's probably the most rattling thing I've been a part of in the big leagues. There's really not much I could do. I just wanted to be over there and lend any support that I could."
Jakubauskas was down for almost 5 minutes before he sat up, holding an ice pack and towel against his face. Jakubauskas was taken off the field on a medical cart. He gave a thumbs up to the crowd, who offered a standing ovation.
"It's as good as could be expected. He doesn't seem to have a concussion. He was conscious and was answering questions," said Pirates manager John Russell. "It was very frightening. Now it puts the game in perspective."
Here's the play in question...
((HT: FSAstros))
Sunday Update:
Jakubauskas was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a concussion and head contusion a day after he was struck in the head by a Lance Berkman line drive.
He received a call from Berkman on Saturday night, who was relieved to find out the pitcher will travel with the Pirates for their next series in Milwaukee.
"He was still a little woozy but he was coherent, and I was glad to see he was conscious and was doing good," Berkman told MLB.com. "It's just a scary deal, but hopefully there's no lasting impact from it and he'll just continue with his career."
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