Padres pitcher takes 102.4MPH line drive off his face in frightening scene during spring training game
San Diego Padres pitcher Cole Paplham was removed from a spring training game in Arizona on a medical cart after taking a 102.4MPH line drive off his face.
Paplham remained conscious and alert, although he was clearly in pain after being struck by a liner off the bat of Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Aaron Bracho.
‘Our prayers are with him,’ Padres manager Mike Shildt said afterwards.
‘He was conscious, seemed alert, knew where he was. But clearly a scary thing. … He was clearly in some pain, and obviously when something like that happens, a little bit rattled.’
Paplham was able to walk to the cart under his own power. Unfortunately for him, the cart had some technical problems which delayed his departure to the trainers’ room in Glendale, Arizona.
Bracho’s 102.4mph line drive got Paplham on his right cheek. However, there did not appear to be any blood on his face.
San Diego Padres pitcher Cole Paplham (34) leaves the game after being hit by a line drive
Paphlam was clearly in pain, but managed to stay alert and walk to the cart by himself
Paplham (34) is checked out after being hit by a line drive from Dodgers’ Aaron Bracho
‘Dude got a chin, respect,’ one fan remarked on X after Paplham was hurt. ‘Hope he’s ok.’
Many others suggested Major League Baseball pressure pitchers to wear headgear.
‘MLB will start making pitchers wear helmets,’ one fan wrote.
Just three days earlier, Dodgers pitcher Bobby Miller was also hit by a line drive at the same ballpark. Miller remains in concussion protocol.
A 24-year-old Green Bay native, Paplham went to college in New Orleans and has since been rising through the Padres’ farm system.
He posted a solid 3.60 earned-run average across stops in low-A, high-A and Double-A in 2023. However, Paplham struggled with injuries in 2024.
The 6-foot-3 righty is currently ranked as the 26th best prospect in San Diego’s system, according to MLB.com.
