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Kansas City Royals pitcher Seth Lugo left Wednesday’s game after having a 107 mph ball ripped from his head in another of those “hold your breath” scenes from Major League Baseball.
I feel like we get about five a year, and they’re all hard to watch. Frankly, I’m surprised this doesn’t happen more often. I was always surprised by this. I played baseball for 15 years at every level and NEVER saw a pitcher take a line out of the head.
Again, I feel like this should happen a lot more often, but I’m grateful that it’s apparently rare.
Anyway, back to Lugo…
GOALKEEPER PITCH NEARLY ESCAPES SERIOUS INJURY AFTER 106.6 MPH DRIVE LINE REACHES HIS HEAD
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo falls to the mound after being hit by a line drive from Texas Rangers right fielder Brandon Nimmo during the fourth inning at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri on June 10, 2026. (Denny Medley/Imagn Images)
Brandon Nimmo took a blow to the face Wednesday night in Kansas City, and Lugo immediately hit the deck. Nimmo, who was teammates of Lugo with the Mets, was visibly shaken as he ran toward first base. He can be seen throwing his helmet and waving his arms after Lugo falls.
After hitting the bag, Nimmo immediately called time and ran toward his former teammate on the mound in one of the most elegant moves of the season.
Take a look:
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Seth Lugo ‘doing fine’ after scary moment
Good God. Scary stuff. It’s amazing that Lugo got up so quickly. And what do you think of that WELT on his head?
I didn’t know brands could form this quickly. This must be some sort of record in terms of welt formation. This thing was MASSIVE after three seconds.
Texas Rangers right fielder Brandon Nimmo talks with Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo after hitting a line drive single during the fourth inning at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri on June 10, 2026. (Denny Medley/Imagn Images)
Kudos to Nimmo for immediately running to see his former teammate as well.
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that either. The batter just runs toward the mound right after touching first base? Shows you the respect he has for Lugo.
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It also shows you what kind of guy Brandon Nimmo is. The veteran has a reputation as one of the best guys in all of Major League Baseball, and I believe him after seeing this.
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo falls to the ground after being hit in the forehead by a batted ball during the fourth inning of a game against the Texas Rangers at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri on June 10, 2026. (Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire)
Either way, all’s well that ends well. Scary scene, but Lugo (somehow) escaped unscathed. The Royals later said he was “doing well” but would put him through the proper protocols before his next outing. His scan on Wednesday evening came back clear.
“He was pretty well shaken up,” Lugo said of Nimmo’s reaction. “I was just trying to calm him down. ‘I’m fine, Nimms.’ He’s always been a lover like that. As a friend, I felt for him. You’ve hit guys before as a pitcher and you feel bad. So it was an unfortunate situation, but it’s all good.”
