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MLB Star Fernando Tatis Jr. Gets Drilled In Head By 95 MPH Fastball

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated Mar 15, 2025 11:04 AM ET

The entire MLB community held its breath on Friday night because of an ugly at-bat involving the San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers.

During the bottom of the firth inning, Padres slugger Fernando Tatis Jr. was hoping to do some damage at the plate. Instead, he nearly ended up on the injured list thanks to a wild pitch from Ranger right-hander Kumar Rocker.

Rocker's first pitch against Tatis immediately sailed up high, drilling the two-time All-Star in the helmet. Fans at Friday night's game immediately gasped the moment this 95 mph fastball hit Tatis.

Tatis was on the ground for a few moments and needed some brief assistance from San Diego's training staff.

Unfortunately, this wasn't the only ugly moment from Friday's game between the Padres and Rangers.

During the bottom of the fourth inning, Tatis was nearly plunked in the helmet for a second time. His cat-like reflexes allowed him to duck just in time. Obviously, the crowd wasn't happy about it.

Here's the at-bat from the bottom of the first inning:

Tatis gets hit in the head pic.twitter.com/R6kROv3qwb
— Al Scott (@AlScott1998) March 15, 2025

We're not really sure how Tatis avoided an injury, but we're glad he did.

Tatis has been great for the Padres when he's available. He has a career .279 average with 127 homers and 322 RBI. There's no question he's the face of the franchise. Everyone is just hoping he can stay healthy for all 162 games this season.

The Padres will begin their 2025 season on March 27 against the Atlanta Braves.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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