Blue Jays manager John Schneider clarifies George Springer's injury situation after outfielder takes concerning fastball to the head vs Orioles

The Toronto Blue Jays' game against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday featured a scary incident, with outfielder George Springer being hit on the head by a fastball.

During the ninth inning of the game at Camden Yards, the Orioles' rookie closer Kade Strowd struck Springer on the head with a 96 mph fastball. Springer fell on the ground instantly after being hit.

Thankfully for the Blue Jays outfielder, the baseball struck him just above the left ear flap on the helmet, and he avoided direct contact. According to Blue Jays manager John Schneider, the pitch struck Springer on his shoulder before hitting the helmet.

“He's doing all right," Schneider said. “Kind of got him on the shoulder and then the helmet. Thankfully he was able to turn a little bit, too.”

Springer got on his feet a couple of minutes after being hit, and Schneider confirmed that the outfielder was alert.

"That's the worst part of baseball, for any side, when a pitch gets thrown that high. You don't think about baseball, you think about the human. It's scary, it happens, it sucks. He was alert the whole time. Which is a good thing. But you hate to see that happen to anyone at any time."

Springer, who was the designated hitter on Monday, was helped to the dugout after he made it to his feet.

Orioles manager Tony Mansolino on George Springer's hit

Following the scary hit, Orioles fans at Camden Yards rose to applaud George Springer as he got back to his feet. Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino described the incident as "terrifying".

"George is one of the more well-respected players in Major League Baseball,” Mansolino said. “Really, when any player is in that scenario, anybody who’s ever kind of stood in the box or stood on the field at any level, I think we all kind of cringe.

"Then you see it happen to a guy like George, and it’s even more so. So, terrifying. We hope he’s OK. The fact he walked off the field -- that’s encouraging.”

The Blue Jays will hope Springer returns to action soon without any serious implications, as the veteran slugger is batting .291 with 18 homers and an .889 OPS.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash