Pirates' Phillip Evans suffers fractured jaw, concussion in scary collision with teammate
Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Phillip Evans suffered a fractured jaw and was diagnosed with a concussion after being involved in a scary collision with right fielder Gregory Polanco during Saturday’s game against the Detroit Tigers.
Evans and Polanco were chasing a sixth-inning fly ball off the bat of Miguel Cabrera when the collision occurred. Evans was running into foul territory with his back to the infield while Polanco was racing in from right field at full speed when he inadvertently struck Evans with his elbow. It appeared Evans was temporarily knocked unconscious.
Pirates players immediately called for assistance. Pittsburgh’s head athletic trainer then quickly called for a cart and a stretcher. Evans was stabilized with a neck brace before being carted off the field.
Evans Update: Phillip Evans has been diagnosed with a concussion and a fractured jaw as a result of the collision during Saturday's game. pic.twitter.com/TdLZuW2Qd0
— Pirates (@Pirates) August 9, 2020
Evans has quickly endeared himself to Pirates fans. He entered Saturday hitting .378/.452/.514 over his first 10 games. He hit the first home run of his MLB career on Friday night.
Forget the team, would be a major bummer on a personal level if Evans is seriously hurt. Journeyman who was finally getting a real chance and was playing great. First career dinger last night, just thinking back to the joy he showed after it. Hope he's ok.
— Brian McElhinny (@rtjr) August 8, 2020
The 27-year-old infielder also appeared in 34 games with the New York Mets between 2017-18.
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