Cubs' Bregman Hospitalized After Foul Ball to Face in 9-1 Win Over Reds

The Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 9-1 on Sunday, Sept. 20, but the win came with a scare.

Third baseman Alex Bregman was struck in the face by a foul ball while waiting near the on-deck circle, the spot where the next hitter warms up. He left the game in the fourth inning and was taken to hospital for X-rays and CT scans, a type of detailed imaging test The Guardian.

The ball came off the bat of teammate Michael Busch. Busch was checking his swing — holding back at the last moment — against Reds pitcher Luis Mey when the ball shot toward Bregman.

Manager Craig Counsell said Bregman was hit in the left cheekbone, just under the eye. He was bleeding from his nose and his face was swelling. A trainer walked him from the dugout to the clubhouse with blood visible on his face.

Matt Shaw pinch-hit for Bregman, stepping in as a substitute hitter, and stayed in the game Sportsnet.

Chicago kept hitting after the delay. The Cubs put up four runs in the top of the third. Seiya Suzuki crushed a 440-foot home run, listed as his 25th, and Pete Crow-Armstrong added a two-run shot, listed as his 45th, according to the team’s MLB.com page.

Bregman joined Chicago in January on a five-year, $175 million free-agent deal. He was batting .262 with 26 home runs and 89 RBIs at the time of the report.

For fans, this one will wait on the medical news. A 9-1 road win is clear. The lineup without its veteran third baseman is not.