During Thursday night’s 3-0 defeat to Philadelphia, Mets first baseman Jared Young had to be taken off the field on a cart in the sixth inning after he was knocked unconscious when he was hit in the head by pitcher Nolan McLean’s knee. The collision happened as both players converged on a slow ground ball hit by Justin Crawford.
Mets manager Andy Green confirmed that a CT scan conducted at the hospital came back clear. Although Young showed concussion symptoms, he retained full use of his limbs. “It was a frightening moment on the baseball field,” Green said. “It took him a while to regain consciousness. It was a very scary collision.”
At the time, the Phillies were leading 1-0. McLean initially ran toward first base as contact was made, and Young moved back toward the bag. When McLean briefly paused, Young reached for the ball with his right hand while trying to keep a foot on first. However, McLean then resumed his run and collided with Young’s head, causing Young to fall face-first and remain motionless.
“It was terrifying to sit there knowing he wasn’t present with us mentally,” Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor remarked. “He was somewhere else.” Both Green and the athletic trainer rushed onto the field immediately, and a cart was brought out. McLean crouched over with his hands on his knees while Mets players gathered around Young. Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez appeared to be praying as players from both teams watched from their dugouts, with Philadelphia’s Alec Bohm kneeling near third base.
Interim Phillies manager Don Mattingly, himself a former major league first baseman, said, “It was strange because you couldn’t tell exactly what happened. I heard it was serious. Hopefully, he’s going to be okay.”
When Young regained consciousness, he reportedly asked, “What happened?” Immobilized on the cart, he gave a thumbs-up before being taken off the field behind the left-center field fence.
Green later reassured fans, saying, “The CT scan results are negative, which is very positive. He’s still dealing with concussion symptoms but has full control of his limbs, so for now it seems we’ve avoided the worst possible outcome.”
Young, 31, is in his first full major league season and has become a staple at first base, batting .266 with nine home runs and 39 RBIs over 103 games. He had previously missed six weeks due to a left knee injury.
“Everyone respects and cares for him,” Lindor said. “He’s been an important part of our team all year.”
McLean was visibly shaken but remained in the game to strike out Garrett Stubbs and end the inning. Green noted, “He probably should’ve made a better choice not to face the next batter, but he still managed to and came back out. The emotional impact was tough on him.” McLean was replaced by reliever Tobias Myers to start the seventh inning, having thrown 82 pitches — his lowest since May 25. “He was willing to continue, but we decided it wasn’t in his best interest,” Green added.
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Fan Take: This incident is a stark reminder of the risks players face every game and underscores the importance of player safety protocols. Jared Young’s condition following this scary collision will be closely watched, as it could influence how baseball and all sports approach head injuries moving forward.
Source: www.foxsports.com
