KANSAS CITY -- One pitch after Jonathan India was brushed back by a 97.1 mph fastball up and in from Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase, the Royals' leadoff hitter was hit on the left side of his face by a 98.9 mph cutter in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday at Kauffman Stadium. The ball hit India¡¯s earflap of his batting helmet, but India fell to the ground and clutched his face.
India remained alert but immediately walked off the field with Royals head athletic trainer Kyle Turner. The Royals¡¯ dugout had choice words for Clase and the rest of the Guardians dugout while India was taken to the locker room.
The Royals believe ¡°it¡¯s non-concussive, but we¡¯re waiting on some imaging and he will be evaluated further over the next few days,¡± a team spokesperson said following the club's 6-2 loss to the Guardians.
"He's up and walking around,¡± manager Matt Quatraro said of India, who was being examined by doctors during the postgame interviews. ¡°He's getting looked at by the doctors now, so I really don't have any sort of update. Luckily, he wears one of those face guards. I'm not sure if it hit the guard or the helmet or the ear piece. I don't know that."
The Royals' clubhouse was quiet postgame, disappointed about the series loss and uncertain whether their leadoff hitter was OK. Kansas City plays again in Milwaukee on Monday afternoon.
¡°I¡¯m still kind of collecting my thoughts on it,¡± designated hitter Vinnie Pasquantino said. ¡°But [Clase] threw a pitch that he doesn¡¯t ever throw before, which was a four-seam fastball. His first one of the year. And then the next pitch, trying to come back up and in. You got to get it. Trying to let a pitch ride. It didn¡¯t. It hit [India] right in the face after almost hitting him in the face the pitch before. Obviously, I¡¯m upset by it. I¡¯m more upset for John, because we don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with him right now. So it sucks.¡±
Pasquantino said he didn¡¯t think there was any intent behind the pitch that hit India, but the Royals were clearly upset with how the Guardians were throwing inside throughout the series. Pasquantino was hit on the shoulder in the sixth inning Sunday, while Bobby Witt Jr. was brushed back a few times over the three games.
¡°I know there wasn¡¯t any intent behind it, but felt like there was no adjustment made there,¡± Pasquantino said, ¡°and that¡¯s frustrating. But they beat us. Hats off to them. Just a sucky situation.¡±
Clase said he texted catcher Salvador Perez after the game to check how India was doing, and to apologize to India and the Royals' clubhouse for the hit-by-pitch. Clase relayed to Perez that it was not intentional, and that the pitch slipped out of his hand.
It was 45 degrees at first pitch on Sunday, which affected Clase¡¯s ability to grip the baseball.
¡°I [texted Perez], ¡®Please just check on him and say that it wasn¡¯t intentional,'¡± Clase said through interpreter Nelson P¨¦rez, the Guardians strength and conditioning coach. ¡°It was just a pitch that slipped out of my hands.¡¯¡±
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt had not received an update on India by the time he met with the media after the game. Vogt (a former catcher who played 10 seasons in the Majors) relayed his well wishes to India.
¡°Obviously, I hope everything's OK,¡± Vogt said. ¡°It's never fun when you see someone get hit up around the head area. I wish him well. I hope it's nothing too serious and he's OK. Those are just scary events.¡±
Pasquantino said he hopes the incident doesn¡¯t carry over into the next time the two teams play each other, which will be April 11-13 at Progressive Field. After the three opening games in Kansas City, the Royals and Guardians still have nine more games to play against each other in 2025.
¡°I didn¡¯t feel anything coming from our end,¡± Pasquantino said. ¡°We weren¡¯t hitting guys up and in this weekend. It just sucks. I hope that isn¡¯t the story of this game, because it was a hard-fought weekend, two really good ballclubs getting after it. Two teams that see each other a lot. I hope not. I hope that next time we see them, it¡¯s a clean series. I think that¡¯s the fun part about us playing the Guardians. Two very similar teams, two very good teams, and I hope that¡¯s the focus of the next series, not something like this.¡±