A group of Tampa Bay Rays players look on as pitcher Hunter Bigge (43) gets medical attention after getting hit in the face by a foul ball in the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

Rays pitcher expected to be OK after being struck by 105 mph foul ball

By Aaron Somers | Last updated Jun 20, 2025 9:57 AM ET

A scary scene occurred during Thursday's game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays when Rays reliever Hunter Bigge was struck in the face by a foul ball and had to be carted off the field.

Bigge spent the night in a Tampa-area hospital but is expected to be okay.

Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman stepped to the plate in the seventh inning, with Rays pitcher Connor Seabold on the mound. Rutschman worked the count full before fouling off a pitch that went straight into the Rays' dugout — with a reported exit velocity of 105.1 mph (well above what MLB qualifies as "hard hit").

Bigge is currently on the injured list with a lat strain, so he was in the Rays' dugout, leaning on the railing, rather than down in the bullpen. The foul ball struck him in the face and knocked him backwards. As MLB.com's Adam Berry writes, the team's strength and conditioning coach, Steve Chase, was "right there" to catch him.

Bigge never lost consciousness, but was still transported to a local hospital to be checked out.

It was a moment that visibly shook the players on both teams. Rustchman and Seabold's reactions can be seen immediately on the broadcast, while most of the other Rays players in the field were equally concerned. The game was delayed several minutes while the team's training staff attended to Bigge.

Horrible scene in Tampa, as Rays pitcher Hunter Bigge was hit in the face by a 105 mph foul ball while in the dugout. He was stretchered off the field and gave a thumbs up as he exited. Kevin Brown on the Orioles TV call for MASN. #MLB
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing.bsky.social) 2025-06-20T02:13:00.422Z

Seabold admitted to reporters after the game that he was "still reeling a little bit" when he stepped back onto the mound for the game to resume.

"I mean, it's one thing to see that happen on TV. It sucks either way, but like seeing it in person and witnessing it in person, something like that, it's terrible, man. Just having to keep pitching after that, too, was rough. I mean, it is what it is, but I'm glad that Biggs is doing all right. It's terrible."

Bigge last appeared in a game on May 1 due to the lat strain. It is unclear what, if any, new injuries may have resulted from being struck by a foul ball, so it's too soon to speculate on when he might return to the mound for the Rays.

The right-hander is one of just two active Harvard graduates in the major leagues (the other being Reds reliever Brent Suter) and posted a 2.40 ERA (167 ERA+) over 15.0 IP for the Rays before the injury.

Aaron Somers

Aaron Somers has more than a decade of experience writing about sports and has been published in numerous outlets, but baseball is and has always been his biggest passion. You can follow him on BlueSky, @AaronJSomers.

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