Orioles catcher James McCann hit in face with pitch, plays eight innings with bloodied nose, swollen eye

Baltimore Orioles catcher James McCann displayed remarkable toughness on Monday afternoon. In the bottom of the first inning, McCann was hit in the face by a 94.6 mph fastball from Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yariel Rodríguez, causing immediate bleeding. Despite the injury, McCann stayed in the game and caught all nine innings.

“He is incredibly, incredibly tough,” praised O’s manager Brandon Hyde post-game (via MASN Sports). “He catches eight more innings after that. He doesn’t have head or eye trauma or injury. We suspect it’s a broken nose. He’s scheduled to undergo a CT scan tomorrow. Thankfully, all signs point to us dodging a major bullet.”

Trainer Brian Ebel managed to stop the bleeding after a lengthy delay. McCann changed his blood-soaked jersey and returned to the field amidst cheers from the crowd at Camden Yards. His eye was visibly swollen later in the game.

Following is the video of the hit-by-pitch:

The Orioles roster includes two catchers – McCann and franchise cornerstone Adley Rutschman. McCann’s early exit from the game would have forced Rutschman to catch nearly two full games or necessitated the call-up of a third catcher, which would have been challenging on short notice.

Orioles righty Tyler Wells, rehabbing from season-ending elbow surgery, appreciated McCann’s toughness.

This incident marks the second time in a month that an Orioles player has been hit in the head by a pitch. On July 12, outfielder Heston Kjerstad was struck in the head by a pitch from New York Yankees closer Clay Holmes. Kjerstad was placed on the concussion list and missed eight days.

McCann, aged 34, went 1 for 3 with the hit-by-pitch in Monday’s game. He currently holds a batting line of .218/.273/.324 as Rutschman’s veteran backup. McCann is in the final year of a four-year, $40.6 million contract signed with the New York Mets in December 2020, with the Mets covering the majority of his salary.

The Orioles’ victory in the first game of Monday’s doubleheader improved their record to 63-43, placing them 1 1/2 games ahead in the AL East.