Two solo homers from Albert Pujols and C.J. Cron in the first inning were enough to put Seattle away, 4-2, at Safeco Field. Seattle (69-67) trails Baltimore and Detroit, who are tied for the second wild-card spot, by five games. I said it a month ago that we had nothing to lose.
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But playoff races and pitching woes quickly became secondary in the second inning, when Angels starter Matt Shoemaker exited the game with a terrifying injury.
SEATTLE (AP) – Matt Shoemaker was hospitalized after taking a line drive to the head in the Los Angeles Angels’ 4-2 win over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.
Shoemaker is in his third full season with the Angels, emerging as a rookie in 2014 when he went 16-4 with a 3.04 ERA. After a few minutes, trainers got Shoemaker to his feet and escorted him off the field.
After the game, the Angels announced that a CT scan revealed Shoemaker suffered a small skull fracture and small hematoma. The good news is that the 29-year-old is speaking and appears to be doing well, though he will spend the night in the hospital for further observation.
“That’s a scary moment”, Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “You kind of have to catch your breath for a second”. We’re relieved to hear that it looks like everything is under control. That just gives you a feeling in the pit of your stomach.
Seager stood near first base, visibly shaken, talking to other Los Angeles players as Shoemaker was examined.
Shoemaker then spent some time in the clubhouse, with doctors checking him and teammates coming up to get all the updates they could. “It happens. We were talking about it on the field – how many times you see balls go whizzing by guys’ heads and everything”, Seager said. Our thoughts and prayers go out to him.
Andrew Bailey had the baseball safely sitting in his locker, a memento of one of the most memorable days of his big league career. Shoemaker received a standing applause from the stadium as he walked to the dugout.
The Angels hit seven first-inning home runs in the three-game series.
Pujols added an RBI single in the top of the sixth, extending the Angels’ lead to 3-0.
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Tyler Skaggs (3-3) allowed three runs on eight hits in six innings for Los Angeles, striking out seven and walking one.
