[ad_1]
Veteran outfielder Justin Upton’s Seattle Mariners debut ended abruptly Friday night when he was hit in the helmet by a pitch.
Upton, who had been called up from Class AAA Tacoma (Washington) earlier in the day and was starting in left field in his season debut, was facing Los Angeles Angels pitcher Michael Lorenzen in the fifth inning when he was struck by a 90.6 mph pitch.
He went down but eventually was able to walk off the field after manager Scott Servais and a trainer checked on him.
Dylan Moore came in as a pinch runner.
Upton, a four-time All-Star and the No. 1 overall pick of the 2005 draft, had been released by the Angels on April 8 and signed a one-year deal with the Mariners on May 21.
He was hitting .200 in the minors at the time of his recall.
Upton, who was beginning his 16th MLB season on Friday, had hit .215, .204 and .211 in his final three seasons with the Angels. He’s a career .262 hitter with 324 home runs and 1,000 RBI.
He grounded out and struck out in his first two at-bats with the Mariners.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mariners’ Justin Upton leaves game after being hit in helmet by pitch
[ad_2]
Source link
