Pitching Prospect Injured in Line Drive Incident

On Tuesday, a pitching prospect for the Cleveland Guardians, Aidan Major, was struck in the head by a line drive, forcing him to leave the game.

This alarming incident took place in the first inning during a matchup between the Hill City Howlers and the Fayetteville Woodpeckers in City Stadium, Virginia. Major was facing off against Xavier Neyens when the event unfolded.

Major, a fifth-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, unleashed a fastball on a 2-0 count, which was quickly hit back by Neyens.

The impact was so intense that Major was unable to move in time and ended up taking a hard hit to the cheek. While the Howlers managed to throw to Neyens at first base, Major remained on the infield, clearly in distress.

The 23-year-old lay on the ground for several minutes while trainers rushed to assist him.

Fortunately, Major was eventually able to rise and exit the field with help, reportedly giving a thumbs up to the crowd before leaving for further tests.

His father, Chad, shared on social media that despite the shocking incident, Aidan was in good spirits. “We are still waiting for the test results at the hospital,” Chad mentioned. He also noted that Aidan expressed a desire to return to the stadium to support his teammates.

Prior to this incident, Major had a successful season at West Virginia University, with 29 innings pitched and a 3.10 ERA.

In a positive turn for the team, the Howlers went on to win the game 5-4, even in Major’s absence.