New York Mets First Baseman Jared Young Injured in Collision

NEW YORK (AP) — Mets first baseman Jared Young was taken off the field on a cart during the sixth inning of Thursday night’s game against Philadelphia, which ended in a 3-0 defeat for New York. Young was injured when he was struck in the head by pitcher Nolan McLean’s knee while both players were attempting to field a slow ground ball from Justin Crawford.

Manager Andy Green reported that a CT scan conducted at a nearby hospital came back negative. Young displayed symptoms of a concussion but retained full movement in his limbs, according to Green.

“It was a terrifying moment on a baseball field,” Green remarked. “It took him some time to regain consciousness. That collision was really frightening.”

At the time of the incident, the Phillies were leading 1-0. McLean broke toward first base upon making contact, and Young initially moved towards the bag. After a brief pause, Young reached for the ball with his right hand while trying to keep a foot planted on the base.

As McLean continued his run, he collided with Young, who fell face down and lay motionless on the field.

“Sitting there, knowing he was unresponsive for a moment, was really scary,” said Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor. “He was just… elsewhere.”

Green and an athletic trainer rushed onto the field, and a cart was called for assistance.

McLean bent down, visibly shaken, as teammates circled around Young. Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez seemed to be praying, while players from both teams watched closely. Philadelphia’s Alec Bohm took a knee by third base.

“It was unusual. It was hard to understand what had happened,” commented Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly, a former first baseman himself. “I heard it was serious. Fingers crossed that he’ll be okay.”

When Young regained consciousness, Green noted that he asked, “What happened?”

Young was strapped to the cart but managed to give a thumbs-up as he was taken off the field.

“He’s had a CT scan, and the results were negative,” Green stated. “That’s a very positive sign. He still has genuine concussion symptoms, but he has full mobility and, at this moment, it appears we’ve averted the worst possible outcomes.”

Younger, now 31, is in his first complete major league season and has made a name for himself as a solid first baseman, boasting a .266 batting average along with nine home runs and 39 RBIs over 103 games. He had previously been sidelined for six weeks due to a left knee injury.

“He’s someone we all respect and appreciate,” Lindor expressed. “He’s been an integral part of our team this year.”

McLean appeared visibly affected by the incident but remained in the game and struck out Garrett Stubbs to wrap up the inning.

“He probably should have made a better decision about whether to face the next batter, but he managed to pull through and did it,” Green noted. “I think what happened really hit him hard.”

Green then replaced McLean with reliever Tobias Myers at the beginning of the seventh inning. Interestingly, Myers pitched 82 pitches, his lowest count since late May.

“He was still willing to go back out there the next inning, but I didn’t think that was in his best interest at that time,” Green concluded.