Orioles Star Adley Rutschman Praying for Rays' Hunter Bigge After Scary Foul-Ball Incident

Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman was incredibly shaken by the foul ball off his bat that struck Tampa Bay Rays reliever Hunter Bigge in the face Thursday night. Bigge, who was in the dugout, was carted off the field and taken to a Tampa-area hospital for testing.

“I saw it off my bat, and it was really, really scary,’’ Rutschman said, according to MLB.com. “I’m praying for him and for his recovery. I hope he’s OK. I haven’t really been a part of something like that. You never want to see something like that happen.’’

The Rays are expected to update the condition of Bigge on Friday. The scary scene took place in the seventh inning of Baltimore’s 4-1 win Thursday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Bigge, who was struck on the right side of the face, was leaning against the railing when 105.1 mph line drive came off Rutschman’s bat. Rays pitcher Connor Seabold threw the pitch.

Bigge never lost consciousness. The initial update from the Rays was positive.

Hunter Bigge was carted off the field and hospitalized

“Certainly you feel for Hunter and his wife. I can't imagine what she and he were going through,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said, according to MLB.com. “Scary for everybody, none more than them.”

Bigge, 27, wasn’t hit in the eye, and was both lucid and able to hold a conversation. He was put in a neck brace before being carted off, giving a thumbs up sign on his way off the field.

The game was stopped to tend to Bigge.

“Being out in the outfield, I didn’t really see much. I heard it, though. I was 350 feet away. I heard every bit of it,” left fielder Jake Mangum said, according to MLB.com. “It was just scary.”

The Orioles were just as worried.

“It’s really scary. It’s terrifying. I mean, we all sit in these dugouts every night, and in a lot of ways you kind of feel like sitting ducks a lot of nights,” Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said, according to MLB.com. “It’s just terrifying. Wish the best for the player that got hit.”