TWO members of the Boston Red Sox suffered a frightening collision on Monday.
When trying to throw a fly ball, Tyler O’Neill and Rafael Devers attacked hard to make the play, but neither canceled the other.
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Estevan Florial of the Cleveland Guardians hit a fly ball into left field that sent left fielder O’Neill and third baseman Devers barreling toward the same spot.
The ball fell into Devers’ glove, but at the same moment the back of his head collided with O’Neil’s face.
“A collision! Wow! Rafy went down, O’Neill went down, they both sprawled in the outfield,” said Red Sox announcer David O’Brien.
The contact caused both players to fall to the ground as Red Sox coaches ran onto the field to tend to their players.
Concern quickly fell on O’Neill, who began bleeding from his face after the collision.
Devers lay sprawled out on the grass for a few moments before sitting down to be attended to.
Since the catch was on third, both players were able to make their way to the dugout on their own, and Devers was able to remain in the lineup for the rest of the game.
However, O’Neill was ruled out of the game with a head injury.
Fans were left in shock at the brutal collision, wondering how the two players didn’t move out of each other’s way.
“Oh my God,” said one fan.
“The impact was probably much worse than it appears from our perspective. Both Devers and O’Neill are big guys,” said another fan.
“What was Devers doing,” said a third fan.
After the game, Red Sox manager Alex Cora informed reporters that O’Neill received eight stitches above his left eye and was placed in concussion protocols.
O’Neill will be re-evaluated on Tuesday, while Devers could remain in the lineup.
Losing O’Neill is a huge blow to the Red Sox, who were desperate to strike early this season.
The Red Sox are 9-8, thanks largely to excellent pitching performance as the offense works to hit its stride.
Boston has a .226 batting average, seventh-worst in baseball, but its team ERA is 2.68, best in the league.
O’Neill was slashing .304/.448/.761 and led the league with seven home runs before his injury.
The Red Sox hope O’Neill improves quickly as they are in a nine-game series against the Guardians and Pittsburgh Pirates, who have a combined record of 22-10.
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