Blood rushed so quickly and incessantly from James McCann’s nose that it rendered his jersey unusable.
But taking a 94 mph fastball in his face could not knock McCann from the game.
The Baltimore Orioles catcher was struck by a Yariel Rodriguez pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first inning of Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays. It struck his nose and the bill of his helmet, spinning him facedown in the dirt at Camden Yards, and Orioles head athletic trainer Brian Abel raced out to administer aid, pressing a towel to his face.
The wayward fastball ended Rodriguez’s Monday after a grim 43-pitch outing in which he recorded two outs, walked four and struck McCann with a pitch. Yet McCann seemed determined to avoid a worst-case scenario.
Starting catcher Adley Rutschman was out of the Game 1 lineup and expected to catch Game 2. McCann leaving the game and leaving Rutschman with 17 innings to catch was a suboptimal option, unless the Orioles activated a catcher between games of the doubleheader.
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So after McCann got up, touched first base and drove in the Orioles’ fourth run with the hit-by-pitch, the Blue Jays summoned reliever Brandon Eisert. McCann repaired to the Baltimore dugout, where he continued receiving treatment and changed jerseys.
And then, nostrils stuffed with gauze, he came back in the game.
The 34-year-old catcher has a .590 OPS and 15 RBI this season, but is well-regarded for his handling of pitchers. And, as we saw Monday, his toughness.
He ended up catching all nine innings of the 11-5 victory and told reporters between games of the doubleheader that he prides himself on ‘grinding things out.’
The shiner and the still-bloody nostrils were more than enough proof of that.
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