Just minutes after the Yankees opened spring 2.0 practice Saturday in the Bronx, Masahiro Tanaka suffered a terrifying injury when he grabbed a driving line to the right side of his head from Giancarlo Stanton’s bat.
Tanaka immediately fell onto the mound and the action stopped when coaches rushed to check it out. He stood still for about five minutes before sitting down. They helped him up and he left the field with the help of two coaches.
The 31-year-old right-hander faced off against several hitters as Saturday was the Yankees’ first official practice after players began reporting Wednesday after the three-month layoff due to the COVID-19 pandemic followed by the dispute. between MLB and the Players Association.
The YES Network broadcast reported that there was no network in front of the mound, as is often the case during batting practice, because it is a simulated game. However, a net was pulled out after the Tanaka incident.
Tanaka is entering the final year of a seven-year, $ 155 million contract.
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