What Happened To Teoscar Hernandez And Alex Call After A Scary Collision?

The Giants were leading by a run in the bottom of the first inning when Casey Schmitt stepped up to the plate to face Yoshinobu Yamamoto with the bases loaded and no outs. On a 0-1 count, Schmitt pulled a low outside cutter from the Dodgers’ pitcher for a towering pop-up to the gap in shallow left-center field.

Teoscar Hernandez initially misread the flight of the ball. He took a couple of steps to the wall before coming back towards the infield to catch the ball. Meanwhile, Call came steaming in from his deep center-field position to make the grab. Eventually, the two Dodgers outfielders crashed into each other with their faces in a forceful collision.

Call successfully made the catch despite running into Hernandez. Nevertheless, the Giants scored a run on a sac fly while the runner at second base advanced to third.

Why Is Teoscar Hernandez Wearing Special Protective Gear?

This year, Teoscar Hernandez has a special gesture for the oldest of his three sons, Teo, who is diagnosed with autism. The Los Angeles Dodgers slugger is wearing elbow pads and shin guards with designs inspired by autism puzzle pieces, a symbol for the condition since 1963.

“I don’t want him to feel like he’s different,” he told Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. “Because he’s not. I think, for me, he’s special.

“It was a lot of emotions. We’re just trying to give [Teo] the support that he needs, the strength. So he cannot think he’s gonna be separate [from] normal life.”

Teoscar Hernandez did not discuss his son’s diagnosis with the media prior to this season. With April being Autism Month, the two-time All-Star wanted to publicize it in a distinct fashion.