CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Reds outfielder Blake Dunn suffered a broken helmet but nothing else when he was hit in the head by a 101.4 mph fastball from Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase in the bottom of the ninth inning of Tuesday’s 5-3 Reds loss at Great American Ball Park.
Dunn, a rookie playing in just his seventh big-league game, took a 2-2 fastball from Clase to the head but stayed in the game.
“Luckily, I was able to turn my head away from it so it didn’t catch my eye or cheekbone or anything like that,” Dunn said. “I was able to turn my head — caught my helmet pretty good, cracked it, but pretty solid helmet to keep me out there.”
Blake Dunn took an Emmanuel Clase fastball to the head 😳 pic.twitter.com/8t6udlQdaH
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) June 12, 2024
Dunn said he never blacked out. Reds manager David Bell and athletic trainers immediately came onto the field to check on him, and he answered all their questions correctly and remained in the game. Afterward, he recalled the entire at-bat and said he felt fine and hoped to play Wednesday.
“It’s scary, but he’s fine. That’s the main thing and all that matters,” Bell said. “It can be dangerous out there, but it’s part of the game. You hate to see that happen to anybody. … He’s tough, but I don’t care how tough you are; more than anything, he got lucky.”
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Dunn was not in the concussion protocol, but he said he was going to visit with the trainers again after talking to the media.
“Once I hit the ground, my vision, none of that went away. Like, I was able to see where I was still at, so I knew I was OK,” Dunn said. “I stood up, felt fine, didn’t get dizzy or anything. I just headed over to first base.”
Dunn said Clase gave him “a little gesture” as he ran off the field at the end of the game, letting him know it was not on purpose. Guardians first baseman Bo Naylor asked him how he was when he got to first base. The next hitter, TJ Friedl, lined out to shortstop Brayan Rocchio to end the game. Dunn was running on contact, and before Rocchio and second baseman Andrés Giménez joined their teammates to celebrate, both said something to Dunn to make sure he was OK.
Clase told The Plain Dealer that he let Dunn know it was not on purpose and he was sorry.
Dunn was the Reds’ minor-league player of the year in 2023, hitting .312/.425/.522 with 23 home runs and 54 stolen bases between High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga. He was a four-sport star in high school, earning All-State honors in Michigan as a quarterback before playing baseball at Western Michigan.
Dunn said his football background might have helped him stay in the game.
“That and the intensity of the moment, just kind of wanting to get back up there and stay in the game,” Dunn said. “I’ve probably taken plenty of hits to my head in my lifetime.”
Dunn was hit by a pitch 32 times in 124 games last season, including multiple times in the head.
“None of them squared me up, though,” he said.
Dunn’s teammates were equally relieved and impressed.
“That’s scary — very scary,” Reds pitcher Nick Martinez said. “He’s an animal. He must have a little bit of a Viking in him or something.”
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Dunn said he didn’t have to look at the scoreboard to see exactly how hard the pitch was that hit him.
“I know he throws 100, 101. It’s pretty consistent,” Dunn said. “I knew once it came up and in, I was like, ‘I better try to get out of the way of this.’ But you can’t because of how firm it is and how fast it gets on you.”
Dunn entered the game as a pinch hitter for left fielder Will Benson in the seventh inning, striking out in that at-bat. He stayed in the game in left.
“It’s baseball; we get hit by pitches,” Dunn said. “Obviously, we prefer them not to be in the head, but I’m looking forward to getting back in there.”
(Photo: Jeff Dean / Associated Press)
C. Trent Rosecrans is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Cincinnati Reds and Major League Baseball. He previously covered the Reds for the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Cincinnati Post and has also covered Major League Baseball for CBSSports.com. Follow C. Trent on Twitter @ctrent
